Like Chasing the Stars
by Mystic Lady Fae
Summary: With the danger gone, life can finally settle down for Steve and Adena. But what happens when they both begin to have stronger feelings for one another, feelings they can't be sure the other will return? And when Loki unexpectedly shows up on Earth, angry and searching for Adena, things are bound to get interesting -and complicated!
1. Aftermath

Disclaimer: Sadly, I own nothing related to Marvel, either the comics, movies, TV shows, etc. All of that belongs to the Disney Corporation (though I might try kidnapping Captain America and Hawkeye some day, just for fun).

AN: At last: here is the sequel! I am so sorry that it's taken so long, but I got sick with a cold, and couldn't find the strength to hit the computer for a few days, so that's why it's late. Anyway, I'm better, and will do my best to post regularly. Enjoy, and please don't forget to review! Thanks!

**Chapter 1: Aftermath:**

After the whole thing with Loki was done, things were a pretty confusing mess for both me and Cap. Not that things were bad or anything –daily life was just difficult to work through.

First of all, New York City was a wreck –but after an alien invasion, what did you expect? I mean, at the end of alien invasion movies, nobody ever talks about what happened _after_ the aliens were beaten, so it's easy to picture that things magically got back to normal (which is never the case).

Clean up efforts were in place, with city work crews out-and-about to clear the streets of destroyed vehicles, large chunks of stone, metal, and glass from buildings that had been shredded by either the invaders or The Hulk (who had been fighting the invaders). It was easy to sweep up the dust and smaller bits, but the larger debris was more difficult, as machines and large moving trucks had to be brought in to move it all. This took a long while, since the machines and trucks had to move from outwards in, and that took _a lot_ of time and human effort.

Of course, a lot of the local politicians were furious about the cost of the clean-up; they kept saying that The Avengers were responsible for the alien invasion, and should be the ones to clean stuff up and pay for the whole thing. Even a few citizens were angry that their city had come under attack, but that was just how the world worked, I guess –some people just couldn't (or wouldn't) see that it wasn't The Avengers' fault that New York had been the epicenter of Loki's attempt at world domination.

To his credit, Tony Stark had offered to donate a nice chunk of change to help the city out. He wouldn't pay for the _entire_ clean-up effort, of course, but I'd have thought that the city would be thankful for what money he did give them. The politicians, obviously, demanded that Tony pay up more than his offer, but he told them to "take it or leave it," and they wisely shut up and took the money.

With all sorts of traffic issues scattered throughout the city, thanks to the mess, getting around was difficult. As businesses began opening again, most people were forced to walk many blocks out of their way to get to work, school, or to the store, often through the cleanup efforts. Obviously, that tended to make a lot of people sweaty, dirty, and grumpy.

Also, a lot of businesses had been damaged in the invasion, some so severely that they might never open again. The banks weren't ready to help everyone who needed financial help, but there with the combined efforts of the local communities, the federal government, and a small flow of cash coming in from other nations, as well as other cities and states across America, the damaged businesses were slowly able to get back on their feet.

The problem was, with so many stores out of commission, it was hard to find food and other basic necessities. The businesses that had been totaled had been raided by citizens who were eager for 'freebies.' The more honest folks paid a little bit for products, but those were few. Lucky for us, Cap and I got our supplies from SHIELD, as Director Fury somehow managed to have agents sneak stuff into our apartment building without getting spotted. Given that he was the head of a super-secret spy organization, though, it really shouldn't have surprised me.

But damage to the city wasn't the chief problem; it was a few issues between me and Cap.

* * *

The main complication was the fact that The Avengers were (for the most part) being worshiped as heroes, and the worship wasn't merely confined to the States.

Nations all over the world hailed the group as saviors of the planet, and many had done their best to show their gratitude in not-so-subtle ways. Some painted huge murals on buildings; others had statues put in city squares or parks. Hundreds of make-shift memorials were created all over the place, where people lit candles and left little tokens in tribute and thanks to the ones who had saved the world.

In a few countries, the current leaders (presidents, prime ministers, and even dictators) had extended invitations for The Avengers to visit their lands, either on official business or for a 'vacation.' Tony, of course, received a lot of these, since the world knew he was Iron Man, and he rather liked the idea of all the honors and awards that might come his way if he accepted any of those invitations.

The only downside of Tony being the only widely known Avenger was that he also got the invitations meant for the _other_ Avengers, because he knew who they all were. Now, Tony did _not_ like getting other people's fan mail, but he _did_ promise to send messages on to the others, if he could. Considering Thor was back on Asgard, Bruce was tucked away working in one of Tony's labs, and Natasha and Clint were off globe-hopping, I had a feeling there was a box on Tony's desk that was getting full of letters.

Cap, meanwhile, wasn't happy about people adoring is alter ego, nor was he thrilled about having Captain America's name and emblem splashed all over the television. He was a very humble guy who didn't possess any of Tony's love of the spotlight. On several occasions, I had to point out that having people admire him was better than them fearing or hating him, and that no one knew his secret identity, so he was safe from stalkers and rabid fans chasing him everywhere. Cap admitted that was true, but he really didn't want to be a celebrity. Any fan mail that Tony got on his behalf was simply left on the growing pile at Stark Tower.

Personally, I thought the way young kids ran around, wielding a Captain America shield while they played with their friends, was cute. Other youngsters painted their faces green, or had inflatable hammers or a bow-and-arrow set in their hands as they ran around the city, and more than a few had Iron Man helmets on. There were even a few girls who joined them, kicking butt whenever possible. I felt it gave everyone a chance to smile at the charming sight, even if Cap was uncomfortable with it.

But with all the new admiration for The Avengers, Cap didn't feel easy going outside, at least at first. He probably kept thinking that someone might recognize him, so I took him for a brief walk in the street, so that we could test that theory. When people didn't look twice at him, he started to relax, but still kept his guard up.

* * *

As weeks passed, things started to become a bit more settled down in the city, with the streets clearing up and businesses and shops opening up again, a sense of normalcy began to drift over everyone. Oh, it would take months before buildings were fully restored, but after more than three weeks of effort, everyone started to relax enough to go back to their normal lives. This included me and Cap.

During those weeks of clean-up, Cap and I had settled down in our apartment and done our best to avoid the messed up streets of New York. It was slightly claustrophobic, being inside for most of our day, but given our choices, we decided it was best, and only headed out on a couple daily ventures outside in order to stretch our legs and see how things stood with the cleanup.

Thanks to us living in a government-funded and run building, we had internet service, as well as power and both hot and cold water, so being inside wasn't _too_ bad. Thank goodness we had internet, at least, because it made it much easier to give Cap his lessons in history and music, as well as the occasional bit of popular culture. Since the rest of the city had spotty Net access, at best, during this time, and since the library was closed until it could be cleaned up, it made for much easier means of teaching and learning.

To my relief, my computer had survived the attack on the city, and not long after Thor's departure, I finally got my tablet and other items back from the hovercraft. I had counted those items lost in the fighting that'd occurred there, but luckily, there wasn't a single scratch on any of it and the software worked like a charm.

As I'd said before, our food stuffs were smuggled to us, with Cap or myself occasionally opening the front door to find an agent with an armful of non-perishable items for the cupboards, as well as milk, eggs, and other hard-to-find items to fill our fridge. Between the two of us, we managed to put together decent meals every day, with Cap teaching me a few cooking tips in return for his lessons from me.

Sadly, our temporary confinement meant that I couldn't take my heroic student out to explore the food scene. Not that our meals were boring, but it would have been nice to go out for Chinese or Mexican food. I had to hide my die-hard cravings for Japanese sushi and noodles –I was a sucker for noodles, and we didn't even have a box of Ramen noodles or spaghetti in the place, because they weren't anything Cap was familiar with yet.

Our trips outside were few and brief; mainly they were to see how things were progressing out in the city, and to get Cap to and from the SHIELD gym for his workouts. Going to the gym was one of our old routines from before the attack on Earth, and it was nice having something familiar to fall back on during our day –like Cap taking his frustrations out on a punching bag, it was very therapeutic.

Now, with the city settling down to normal, I decided that there were a few things that needed to be touched on between me and Cap. He was almost back to his usual self, but I could tell that there was something bothering him, and I had a good idea what it might be. And it was time to fix it.

* * *

Like before, I sat and read a book or played a game on my tablet while Cap punched away at his target. Although he seemed a bit mellower than before, Cap still had issues, none of which he would talk to me about. I knew one of them had to be cabin fever; he didn't like being stuck inside all the time, even if I did my best to keep him busy.

The other issue I suspected had something to do with me. Cap probably didn't think that I guessed at it, but I had a feeling that he still felt bad about Loki kidnapping me almost from right under his nose. It was a topic I very much wanted to talk to him about, but with everything that was going on in the city, as well as him trying to catch up on the lessons we'd missed during the problem with Loki, there hadn't been time.

Today marked the one month anniversary of Loki's attempt on the planet, and New York was starting to settle down again. The large debris had been cleared off the roads, so traffic was back to normal, and people were out-and-about again. Buildings were being gutted and/or rebuilt, but it would take months or years before New York looked like its usual self. Life was moving forward, and now it was time for us to do the same.

"Cap, why don't you take a break?" I suggested, pulling out a bottle of water with some fresh lemon squeezed into it. Cap couldn't stand artificially-flavored water, and lately had taken to preparing his own before heading to the gym.

Sweating and looking a bit winded, Cap nodded and came to sit beside me on my bench, taking the water and gulping half of it as he settled into his seat. After he'd had a few minutes to cool down, I cleared my throat. "Um, Cap? We need to talk."

He froze. "About what?" he asked, looking a bit worried.

I quickly guessed that he expected me to be breaking some bad news about something, and hurried to reassure him. "It's nothing bad," I quickly said, putting a hand on his arm to give it a reassuring squeeze. "But it is something we need to discuss."

Cap relaxed a _tiny_ bit, but none of the anxiety left his face. "Alright; what is it?"

I took a deep breath. "I know that you've been upset about something, and that you've been trying to blow off steam through your work out sessions. You and I have to talk about this, before you destroy all of Director Fury's punching bags, until there are none left."

The last part was sort of meant as a joke, but it was also kind of serious. For the most part, things had been going well, but whenever we were at the gym, Cap tore into his boxing routine, almost literally. Normally, he went through one or two punching bags before we called it quits; now, he was up to five. Given the huge jump, I knew something was wrong.

Cap went even tenser. "There's nothing to really talk about."

My hand on his arm squeezed even tighter. "Is it because Loki kidnapped me off of the ship?" I whispered. "Do you blame yourself for what happened?"

He went still, and for a second, I thought he was going to lose it. I didn't back down, though, nor did I try and apologize. Instead, I sat and waited, my hand still on his arm as I waited for him to answer.

* * *

There was nothing Steve wanted to do more than _not_ answer her. Right now, he desperately wanted her to drop the subject and let him go back to breaking apart punching bags –it was better than having to think about how angry and disappointed he was in himself.

At first, things had been fine. Adena was safe, the Earth wasn't in danger, and Loki had been taken away to face Asgard justice. Steve had finally felt as though a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders, and he could get back to living quietly, with Adena teaching him about the world, just like before.

But every time he looked out the window or walked down the street with her, that weight returned, as did the guilt. All of the destruction that still lingered in the city reminded him of how she could have been hurt or killed, and it would have been his fault.

'_I couldn't protect her_,' he always chanted inside his head whenever he hit the punching bag. '_I couldn't keep her safe. I couldn't keep Loki from taking her off the ship_.'

Part of him knew that it wasn't entirely his fault –he'd been busy, watching Stark's back as he tried to keep the airship from crashing to earth, and keeping himself from being killed by rogue agents. He'd also seen to the well-being of those who'd been hurt in the attack.

But leaving Adena alone when everything had gone to hell had been all on him. Steve had truly thought that she'd be safe where he had left her; that she would go back to her room and stay there until the danger had passed. How could he have known that she wanted to be useful, rather than be happily tucked away, safe and sound, like most sensible people would?

The fact that she had confided in Tony Stark and not in Steve hadn't helped. Steve wouldn't admit it aloud, for fear of making Adena feel guilty, but it had hurt that she'd told Stark about her desire to be of use to the team, and not him. After all, hadn't she known Steve longer? How could she share her secrets with a man she'd barely known for a few hours, rather than someone she'd been sharing an apartment with for weeks?

So far, Steve had done his best to go on with life, but inside, he still felt as though he had failed her. Of all the people on the airship, Adena had been (and still was) the most helpless. Steve knew this, and as she was his tutor and friend, he had assumed the responsibility of keeping her out of harm's way. The fact that he'd let her down tore at him every day, and the only things that made him feel better was seeing her every day, safe and sound, and the feel of his fist meeting the punching bag every evening.

"It wasn't your fault, Cap," she said, scooting closer so that her words were heard only by him. "You couldn't have known what would happen. I don't blame you; nobody does. You need to let it go."

His shoulders sagged. "I can't," Steve grudgingly admitted. "I just keep imagining what might have happened if we hadn't won against Loki…what he might have done to you afterwards."

Adena went quiet, but it wasn't long before she asked, "Do you have nightmares about it?"

He sighed. "Sometimes," he admitted. Steve really didn't like admitting his weaknesses, but for some reason, saying them aloud to Adena made the pain and fear fade a bit.

She smiled. "I guess I'm the lucky one, then, because I haven't had one yet. I've been so busy trying to help you that I literally drop into bed, exhausted, every night. But I'll bet that if I did have nightmares, they'd be about all of the visions that Loki channeled into my brain while I was under his sleep spell."

Steve sat up and looked at her. "Visions? You never mentioned visions before."

"We were busy," she said with a nonchalant shrug. "But yes, Loki did show me what he'd had planned for after the battle, if he won. None of them were very pretty."

For a while, Steve listened as Adena described what she had seen. He felt sick to his stomach as she told him how Loki intended her to be his enslaved Queen, her mind locked away as her body functioned without her consent. Steve could only imagine what that would be like, and it scared _him_ –he couldn't think how Adena must have felt, knowing that might have been her future.

Almost without thinking, Steve reached out and pulled her into a hug. For a moment, he was shocked at his actions, but when she put her arms around his shoulders, he relaxed.

"I know that you aren't going to forgive yourself overnight," Adena whispered into his ear, "But I'll help you pull through it. You've got friends now, and being there for each other is what friends are for."

He smiled over her shoulder, his arms still around her waist. For a moment, he couldn't think of anything to say to her; he wasn't suave like Tony Stark, who had the words to fit any occasion. In the end, he settled for, "Thank you."

Adena patted him on the back and pulled away slightly so that she could look up at him. "You're too hard on yourself," she firmly told him. "I know it's hard to accept, but you really can't protect everybody." She gave him a small smile. "Would it make you feel better if I said that I forgive you for not being the perfect superhero you try to be?"

Steve had to laugh at that. "Yes, it would, and it does." He smiled back at her as both of them dropped their arms from around each other. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." Adena replied, resting a hand on his shoulder.

"Am I missing something?" called a voice from behind them. "I hope not, but it sure looks like it."

Turning, Steve had to smile at the man who stepped into the room.

* * *

"Phil!" I cried, jumping up from the bench. "Where have you been? I've been worried sick about you!"

Seriously, _no one_ would answer my questions about how one of my favorite SHIELD agents was doing after getting blasted by Loki. I pestered every agent that came to the apartment, but all anyone would say was that he was "still recuperating". I knew they had to be lying, considering I'd been hit with the same blast a whole month ago, but was obviously perfectly fine.

Now that I knew he really was okay, I ran over and threw my arms around him for a hug, which he returned. "Really, Phil! You don't call, you don't write, and none of your fellow agents would tell me anything," I lectured him as I pulled back a little to look at him. "What am I supposed to think when that happens?"

Phil gave me a rather sheepish smile. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "Things have been more than a little crazy at headquarters. There's a lot to clean up, and we've still got to hunt down and deal with the human allies Loki managed to make while he was here. We've managed to nail down some, but there are probably more out there, so the Director's had me running around ever since I recovered from Loki's attack on the ship."

I smiled up at him. "Well, I'm just glad you're okay." I paused for a second. "You're not here with another mission for Cap, are you?" I asked suspiciously. "Because if you are, the answer is no."

"Adena!" Cap exclaimed. "You can't say _no_ if it's a mission for _me_!"

I stepped away from Phil and tossed my hair over my shoulder. "Of course I can," I teasingly replied in a false-arrogant tone of voice. "After what you've just been through, you need stability and a bit of normalcy so that you can learn what I'm here to teach you."

Phil actually chuckled. "Actually, I'm in town for the day, and thought I'd come to say 'hello'. Oh, and to bring a little something for you, Adena," he said, producing a small box from inside his suit. "Special delivery, from Agent Romanoff."

"From Natasha?" I squealed, taking the box. "I love presents!"

Both Phil and Cap laughed. "Well, I have to be off," Phil declared, reaching out to pat me on the shoulder. "I'll call to tell you when I'm next in New York, okay? We can talk then."

I gave him another hug, and then it was me and Cap. Turning to look at my student, I told him it was time to go. "It's late, and you need to clean up before bed," I reminded him. "Tomorrow, we get started on your food lessons."

Groaning, Cap went to gather his stuff.

* * *

AN: Well, there's chapter one! More will follow soon, I promise. For now, please review?


	2. Out and About with the Captain

Disclaimer: Sadly, I own nothing related to Marvel, either the comics, movies, TV shows, etc. All of that belongs to the Disney Corporation (though I might try kidnapping Captain America and Hawkeye some day, just for fun).

AN: Here's chapter 2! Have fun reading, and please be kind and review. Thanks!

**Chapter 2: Out and About with the Captain:**

The first thing I did when Cap and I got back to the apartment was open the little box Phil had passed on to me, a gift courtesy of Natasha. Cap refused to go clean up until he saw whatever it was Natasha had sent me, so I humored him and opened it as he watched.

Inside was a lovely silver-and-gold bracelet. It was rather thick, with a flat cord of gold and another of silver, twisting together until the two connected at a nickel-sized disk that had a star elegantly engraved on it. I loved it instantly, and Cap helped me clasp it on.

As I looked it over, I wondered if the bracelet had any hidden capabilities. It _looked_ like a regular bracelet, but given that Natasha was a spy, I wondered if it might have the ability to shoot laser beams or have hidden gadgets, a la James Bond. Okay, probably not, but it was still a cool thought!

"Very nice," Cap commented, admiring the craftsmanship. "It looks expensive."

That made me pause. "It must be," I replied, picking up the box and looking to see where it had come from. Of course, there was no clue as to where it had been made. Natasha, it seemed, didn't want anyone to know where she was, except perhaps Director Fury.

"Well, wherever it's from, I'm definitely going to have to give her a big hug when I next see her," I muttered. "I'll also have to ask Phil when her birthday is, so I can get her something nice."

A small breeze caught my nose, and reminded me of something very important. "Ew, Cap!" I said, pushing at his shoulder. "Go shower! You may be a hero and have magic serum in you, but you still stink after working out!"

He laughed and went off to his room. Given the hour, I knew that I wouldn't see him again tonight, so I decided to go and make a very important phone call, one that I'd been putting off for far too long.

* * *

After my move to New York, followed by the invasion of earth, I'd only had enough time to leave brief messages on my parents' answering machine, as well as send off the occasional e-mail. Since my parents had been on a special anniversary trip during that whole crisis, it gave me a lot of breathing time, as well as the opportunity to put together a bunch of reassuring things to say to them when I did manage to speak to them live over the phone.

I had created a story about Doctor Isaac Jacobs, our trusted next door neighbor, having found me a prominent job at a government-run hospital in New York, where, I was helping a war veteran try and reintegrate into the world he'd left behind. Since my folks both liked Doc Jacobs, I figured they wouldn't object to my sudden change in lifestyle.

Of course, that wasn't the case, because things didn't go well from the start of my phone call.

First of all, my mother thought I was crazy for leaving the job I already had in order to move to New York. In her mind, New York was a place full of crime, murder, and now, alien invasions; therefore, it was very stupid of me to go live there. She wanted me to come back home right now, but given that I'd already been living with Cap for some time, it was way too late for that.

Dad, however, wished me luck, told me to do my best and work hard, and that if whatever I was doing fell through, I was welcome to move back home. He said that this was a good opportunity for me, and that I really needed to travel and 'broaden my horizons' before I got too old to do stuff like that. And just like any devoted father, he said that if I needed money, I could call him and he'd help me out. I gave my word, and promised to keep both him and Mom up-to-date on how things were going with my new city and job.

Obviously, I did not tell them that I was living with a man who happened to be Captain America. That would have caused them both to freak out, and possibly ended in a lot of yelling, since my parents would not have approved of my living with any man, much less a stranger in a strange city. Such a revelation would probably end in a surprise visit from my father, who would then try to strangle Cap with his bare hands.

Given the choice, I decided to keep this a major secret from them, at least for a while longer.

* * *

After my phone call home, I hit the sack and woke up in time for breakfast, which Cap always cooked. We always ate together, and decided how to spend our day over our bacon, eggs, juice, toast, and milk.

Today, as I consumed my meal, I decided it was time to take Cap clothes shopping. He probably would insist that it wasn't necessary, but if he wanted to really function in the world, he had to learn how to shop for clothes in today's malls and shopping centers, and get comfortable doing it. And with stores opening up again, it was the perfect time for our lesson.

Once the dishes were cleared and tucked into the sink (Cap still liked doing dishes by hand, as it gave him time to think), I cleared my throat. "Uh, Cap?" I tentatively said, getting his attention. "I think today's lesson will be taking place out in the city –namely at the mall."

He immediately saw where I was going with this, and frowned. "Adena-" he began, only for me to cut him off.

"I know, you don't want me to fuss around with your personal style choices," I said, stopping his protests. "But unless you plan on wearing the same shirts every day for the rest of your life, you need to know how to go out and shop for new ones. You also need a few necessities that every modern man has to have, and you need to be able to change fashions with the times."

Walking over to him, I put a hand on his shoulder. "This really is necessary, Cap," I gently told him. "Every man needs to shop for clothes at some point, and the experience has gotten a bit more complicated since your day. I'll be there to help you, and we can pick up some things I'm sure you want or need."

I fully expected him to argue, but after only a minute of hesitating, he sighed. "All right," he grudgingly muttered. "Let's go, before I change my mind."

So, after grabbing my purse and calling the CAR number on my phone to arrange a driver from SHIELD to take us (mercifully, the driver was now available), we were off.

* * *

Our driver was the same fellow from before Loki's attempted invasion, and he looked pretty happy to be back. It seemed that most SHIELD agents had been pulled back from their 'less important' jobs to help out after Loki left the planet in a mess, but now that things were calming down, it was back to work for them.

"Believe me, this is better than the paperwork they had me doing," our agent-driver told us on the ride to the mall. "And with the danger over with, I was getting antsy from being bored." Cap and I had to smile at that one.

Our first stop was the infamous New York Macy's. I'd always dreamed of shopping in two major stores in the world: Harrod's and Macy's. Since Harrod's was clearly out of the question, this was more than enough to keep me happy and help with today's lesson.

Since Macy's had been around since before Cap's time, he was vaguely familiar with it, but given all the changes to the world, he probably should have expected things to be different from what he remembered. And since this was my first visit to the infamous store, I was prepared to be surprised, awed, and excited about the whole trip. I'd heard that there were eight or ten floors to the building, and couldn't wait to see them all!

As soon as we got out of the car and stepped into the store, I was in shopping heaven. I adored shopping, and now I was here to teach my hero about it, all on the government's dime. It was basically a dream come true.

But even in my dream-filled daze, I let the cold splash of reality sink in. Men didn't normally like shopping (or at least my father and brother didn't), and Cap was already resistant to the whole thing. This reminded me that this trip wasn't all fun and games, but rather a serious business that needed to be done. And it was time to get started.

Looking up at Cap's face, I noted the expressions that lingered there. He was clearly overwhelmed, surprised, and apparently even a little intimidated. Seriously, the fact that he could take on alien invaders, but be scared of a shopping center, was rather funny. Still, I felt rather sorry for him, and reached out to take his hand in mine.

"It'll be okay," I told him. "I'll be right here, so don't worry. We'll get through it."

Cap nodded and allowed me to lead him to one of the store directories, so that we could find out where the men's department was. I located it on the map, and led him straight for the escalators, so that he could look at the different floors as we passed through them.

On our way to the escalators, it was clear that he didn't like the fragrance counters; the smells wafting through the air from them made me sneeze, and Cap hadn't like how the sales clerks kept offering to spray him with their sample bottles. One of the ladies was nice enough to offer one of the samples sprayed on a slip of paper, which Cap accepted out of politeness. He didn't like the scent, though, and tossed it into the nearest trash can.

The trip up to the men's department was shorter than I expected, probably because Cap dragged me all the way there as fast as he could. I guessed that he wanted this trip to end as quickly as possible, but I knew that shopping for clothes (for men or women) tended to take a while. Even my quickest trip took an hour, at least, depending on what I was looking for.

When we arrived, my poor charge was impressed and awed at the variety available. He recognized none of the brands, so as we started walking around, I pointed out the more expensive ones and told him that they sold the most luxurious and fine items. Cap took one look at a shirt from one of those brands and almost had his eyes fall out.

"How could this cost so much?" he complained, dropping the price tag as though it were on fire.

I explained about brand names, and how certain companies used only the best and most expensive materials to make their products. "People also pay a lot of money simply because of the brand," I told him, motioning from one section of the store to the other. "The more widely-known, fashionable, and respected the brand is, the more expensive it is. These also have famous people who love them, so that not only makes regular people respect them even more, but also drives their desire to buy even one single thing from that particular maker."

As with all men, Cap didn't hold much with fashion, so I decided to save the details of that lesson for later. Instead, I took his hand and pulled him towards the section that held casual clothes, my wallet and brain ready to do some serious retail battles.

* * *

Steve hated shopping –end of story.

Even in his own era, he'd disliked spending more than an hour in stores, buying clothes and shoes. Now, things were infinitely more complicated, and if Adena hadn't been with him, it could have been much worse.

He could hardly believe what was being charged for a simple shirt! Adena tried explaining brands and how people paid dearly just for the sake of wearing a certain brand of clothes, but it still confused him to no end. Why pay so much money just to say you had something made by a certain company? He could understand it with cars, but not clothes –certain car makers were renowned for their quality of vehicle, and people paid dearly for it. But with clothes, a shirt was a shirt, and shoes were shoes –that's all there was to it.

'_Maybe if I think of clothes and their brands like I do cars, it'll make sense_,' he reasoned as Adena led him away from the expensive, fancy clothing and towards the more casual ones.

Here, Steve found himself relaxing significantly. The shirts looked comfortable, looser in cut, and some seemed to be in a decent price range he could afford. Adena released the hold she had on his hand and told him to find whatever it was he wanted to try on.

It didn't take long for him to choose a few things off of the sales racks, but not long after they were in his hands, Adena was going through them, picking up shirts and holding them against him. "Checking to see which size you are," she explained, though he didn't understand why she bothered –they were _his_ clothes, after all, and he generally knew what size he was.

In the end, though, Adena's insight proved useful. When Steve went to try on his selections, only about half of them fit, while the others were too small or too loose in areas he didn't like. He couldn't understand why this was so, but perhaps that was because, until now, a few SHIELD agents had been the ones to procure his clothing for him. He didn't know how they could have guessed his size, but given how long he had been unconscious after he'd been pulled from the ice, it was possible that they'd measured him so that they could clothe him.

That was before Adena had come into his life, however. With her to help guide him, Steve felt that it was probably time for him to find his own clothes.

And from now on, he would try and listen to her whenever she said she felt a shirt wouldn't look "right" on him.

* * *

It took a while, but Cap and I finally managed to find a good dozen shirts that looked good on him, and fit right.

Normally, I'd guess that he was a large or extra-large size, given his muscular form, but it was harder than I thought. Cap was broader in the shoulders, with a narrow waist, and that made shopping for shirts a bit more difficult. I finally managed to convince Cap that the addition of a belt would help with shirts that were only a little wide, and that a good seamstress or tailor could deal with the shirts that needed a bit more help.

When the last item had been purchased, I had to drag Cap all the way to the suit section. When he saw where we were heading, he tried to pull me away, saying that he didn't need it and that it would be a waste of money. I finally had to put my foot down, saying that every man needed a suit for when he had to go out to a party or nice restaurant, and that he was no exception.

"You _are_ getting a suit, Cap," I told him firmly. "Every man has an outfit to wear to special occasions, and you're no exception. Now stop arguing and let's see what they can do for you."

He actually had the nerve to glare at me, but in the end, he did as I asked. The sales clerk took one look at Cap and got a very happy smile on his face –I figured he was either gay and thrilled at having a fine specimen like Cap at his disposal, or he was glad to have someone to fit a suit to. I didn't bother to guess which, because the clerk was very professional, and quickly had Cap measured out, without making things uncomfortable for anyone.

"Given his physical form, there are a limited number of suits we have on hand that he could try on and take home today, if he chose," the clerk informed us. "Those are of middle to slightly lower quality, a business-casual sort of thing. For something dressier and to impress others at social functions, we can do a custom suit specific to his form, as well as his hair and eye color."

Both the clerk and I studied Cap closely. "I think he should have one of each," I said, tapping my forefinger against my chin in thought. "Dark blue or black would look great on him, I think."

The clerk agreed, and pulled out a dark blue suit that was already made. "This is one of our better pieces," he said, holding out the material for me to touch. "Light, durable, and it breathes, so he'll be comfortable no matter what."

Cap tried it on, and when we found that it fit perfectly, I ordered the more expensive one to be made. While Cap was busy looking at his reflection in the three-way mirror, I had to glare at more than a few passing women, all of whom were checking out Cap behind his back. Some of them even looked like they wanted to come over and 'introduce themselves,' but after giving them death glares, they got the hint and stayed back –though several threw me glares of their own. Given how incredibly good he looked in the outfit, was it any wonder Cap was getting so much female attention? Seriously, if he decided to give up working for the government, he could easily go into the model industry, if he wanted to (which he wouldn't, given how humble he was).

For the fitted suit, we went with black, since everyone looked good in it, and settled on a date for it to be delivered to the apartment. Like with Cap's shirts, I paid with the pre-paid credit card provided by Director Fury, which still had a decent amount on it. The clerk thanked us for our business, and pointed us in the direction of dress shirts, which he knew Cap would need to wear under his suit.

"More shirts?" Cap asked in disbelief. "Don't I have enough?"

"Not dress shirts," I pointed out. He merely sighed and (grudgingly) went along with it.

Luckily, I had Cap's measurements written down, courtesy of the suit sales clerk, so all we had to do was pick up some pre-packaged shirts and a few ties. Cap picked out a few neutral colors (like white, black, and steel grey), while I handed him a few shirts in various shades of blue, to match his eyes. Yes, it's cheesy of me to say, but Cap had some very nice blue eyes, and he needed some shirts to make them stand out.

As for ties, I let him choose whatever he wanted, and was pleased with the black, grey, and blue ones he'd come up with. Once those were in the bag, I decided it was time for lunch, which we were both eager to get to.

* * *

You'd think that, after accepting and liking shawarma, Cap would be a bit more open to ethnic foods. Sadly, that wasn't so.

I finally decided to treat him like a child who was exploring their food options, and started with one of the most common foreign foods: Italian.

Today, it was pizza, since we were in New York, and everyone knows that, outside of Italy, New York has the best pizza places in the world. I asked our driver to take us to one of the most popular pizza places in the city, and ended up taking two different pies; one for me and Cap to share, and one for the driver, who had been kind enough to drive us everywhere.

After we had unloaded our purchases, Cap and I managed to lug our numerous bags up to the apartment with the help of one of the security guards in the lobby. To thank him, I let him have a slice of pizza, which he was very thankful for.

"I've got work until the evening shift, and it's a long while until my dinner time," the guard teased as he gulped down his slice. "Thanks, Miss."

Cap and I immediately set aside the bags to sort through later, and sat down to tuck into the pizza. It was plain, with only sauce and cheese, but boy was it good! Cap was an instant fan, and on that note, I mentioned noodles and pasta, which would be our next food lesson.

"The Chinese invented noodles; later on, the Italians brought it home and put their own spin on it," I said, grabbing another slice. "They used whatever was native to their lands, and made pasta."

Over the remainder of the pizza, I described the differences between noodles and pasta, and Chinese and Italian cooking. Almost against his will, Cap found himself interested in both types of food, and agreed to try them both.

Between the two of us, we demolished the pie and immediately opted for a break. Cap went to put away his new stuff while I went to compose an e-mail to my folks, and check my phone messages (I had turned it off so that I wouldn't be distracted while helping Cap). To my surprise, I had one new message, and it was from, of all people, Tony Stark.

"Hey, Adena," he cheerfully said on the message. "Sorry I haven't been in touch. Stuff has been kind of crazy, what with the city getting attacked and all, so I hope you'll forgive me."

I rolled my eyes as he continued. "Anyway, I talked it over with Pepper, and she decided that it would be a good thing for you to bring the Captain over for dinner tomorrow night. Bruce will be there, too, so it'll be a good gathering. Nothing fancy, just a casual meal and drinks with friends. Call me back and let me know if you guys can make it."

As the message ended with a click, I had to smile. Tomorrow, Cap would finally be able to get out and socialize with friends! It'd be a good experience for him, and could be a lot of fun.

But what was I going to get him to _wear_?

* * *

AN: Okay, so I have no experience with taking guys suit shopping –hopefully it was accurate, at least to a point. Thanks for reading, and please review?


	3. Dinner with Friends

Disclaimer: Sadly, I own nothing related to Marvel, either the comics, movies, TV shows, etc. All of that belongs to the Disney Corporation (though I might try kidnapping Captain America and Hawkeye some day, just for fun).

AN: Here's a new chapter, and it's got some familiar faces in it. Enjoy, and please don't forget to review!

**Chapter 3: Dinner with Friends:**

I have to say that it really is awesome having friends who are spies, assassins, and/or heroes, because they are some of the most interesting and fun people a girl could know. I say this because when opening e-mails from them, you never know what you're going to get.

The morning after I received Tony's dinner invite for me and Cap, I found a lovely little e-mail in my inbox. It was from Natasha, and even though the message was short, it was nice to know that she cared enough to keep in touch. Of course, the little image file she'd attached was more than enough to make up for the short paragraph she'd written –especially since it included photos of old European buildings and cafés. A few even had Clint Barton giving a mock salute to the camera, which given the absence Natasha in them, were probably taken by her.

Thinking about heroic friends, of course, led my thoughts to Tony's invite, and the fact that I hadn't told Cap yet.

Even though the two of them had recently managed to settle their differences, I had a feeling that neither one of them were ready to be friends yet. This would require a lot of careful and delicate prodding on my part (or flat-out ordering Cap to be nice to Tony), and if it were possible, I planned to include Pepper Potts in my scheme to get the two men to at least be acquaintances, if not friends.

But first, I had to speak to Cap about our evening plans.

* * *

"No," he firmly told me.

Sighing, I rolled my eyes. "Cap, seriously, this is ridiculous," I told him. "Tony is being nice and inviting us for dinner and drinks. Why don't you want to go?"

He simply scowled and crossed his arms, not bothering to answer me. I frowned at him. "Now you're being immature. Really, you need to get out and make friends! I can't be your only connection to the outside world, because sooner or later, you're going to get tired of hanging out with just me. And when that happens, who are you going to turn to?"

Cap actually looked alarmed and offended. "I wouldn't get tired of you!" he insisted.

That was sweet, but unrealistic, and I told him so. "Cap, you have to be honest about this," I said. "You can't depend on me to be your only friend. Guys need other guys to talk and spend time together with. Girls do the same thing, and I honestly wouldn't mind adding Pepper Potts to my list of new female friends. It'd be nice to talk to another girl about stuff that I simply can't talk to you about, and you eventually will need another man to talk about…whatever it is guys talk about when women aren't around or listening." I had no idea what that would be, but it was still the truth.

Cap, meanwhile, still didn't look happy about the whole thing. By now, I was getting annoyed and beginning to wonder if I had to play hardball with him.

Rubbing my head in order to chase away the headache that was forming, I bit back any rude words that threatened to escape, and sighed. "Cap, you obviously shook hands with him when Thor took Loki away," I said. "That means that you were willing to put aside any baggage you had with Tony, or at least you were ready to admit that you weren't rivals or enemies. Could you at least move a step forward and _try_ to become friends with him?"

He stayed quiet. "Okay, so Tony is a bit of an ass, and the complete opposite of you in many ways," I pointed out, apparently striking a nerve when Cap proceeded to scowl even more. "That doesn't mean you can't be friends! I know there's a saying that 'like attracts like,' but there's another that says 'opposites attract.' So, given that you're both so different, there's still a chance that you and Tony could be friends."

A prime example hit me, causing me to smile. "I mean, if the infamous assassin Natasha Romanoff and I can hit it off, why can't you and Tony? Natasha and I are opposites, and we seem to get along fine."

Cap opened his mouth to argue, then snapped it shut. "Oh, alright," he muttered in surrender. "We'll go, but only because Doctor Banner will be there, too."

I should have known that he would bring that up. Bruce was a soft-spoken guy who stayed out of the public way because he had to; Cap was the same, but he did it out of choice. I had thought that they would make good friends, and it seemed I was right.

"Good," I commented, now feeling happy about the whole thing. "So, let's go see how we'll dress for the occasion, shall we?"

* * *

To be honest, Steve really didn't understand the different levels of dressing in today's world.

Before he had become Captain America, Steve had only two types of clothes: one for everyday wear; and another for special occasions. After he'd joined the army, he had worn the 'normal' uniform whenever possible, and his unique outfit when fighting Red Skull and HYDRA.

Today, Adena had exposed him to the different levels of clothing options. There was casual, which was anything he wanted to wear and could get dirty. Next was a level upwards, where he could wear jeans or khakis with a finer shirt, with the option of a jacket. After that, there were dress pants with a decent shirt and jacket, then a suit with or without a tie, depending on the occasion; and a tuxedo for the most formal of occasions. It was enough to make his head spin!

At this point, having Adena around was a blessing. She was helpful with modernizing his clothing, because otherwise he wouldn't know what to do with it all. Steve wanted so much to choose his own outfits, but since he was still new to all of this, he knew that he would have to rely on Adena to pick what would best fit the occasion, at least until he was more comfortable doing it on his own.

Today, she chose for him a pair of dark blue jeans, a blue collared shirt, dark brown shoes, and his brown leather jacket. Looking at himself in the mirror, with every item in place, Steve had to admit that what she'd chosen was comfortable and looked better than anything he himself might have picked.

When Adena made her appearance in the living room so that they could head out, he found that she looked much nicer than he did, at least in his opinion. Regular jeans and a nice shirt were her usual clothes of choice, but tonight, she had on black jeans, a brown short-sleeved top with a layer of brown lace over it, and brown sandals. It was simple, but pretty, and the colors complimented her coloring very nicely. She wore no makeup, for which Steve was thankful –he'd seen some of the women today, with their faces made up to the extreme, and found Adena's aversion to it very refreshing.

"I can't stand wearing that stuff," she'd told him once when they were out grocery shopping and they'd passed by a small selection of beauty products. "I tried it when I was a teenager, and couldn't stand the feel of the powder on my face, or how careful I had to be when wearing eyeshadow or eyeliner. It drove me crazy, and I promised to never wear that stuff again, unless it's for very special occasions."

He hadn't told her then, but Steve very much admired a woman who went against what the world expected of her. Adena didn't even try to hide the blemishes on her face –she merely left them as they were, and lived with them. Her only complaint was the occasional acne spot, but that was easily treated with a chemical she kept in her purse.

'_She's a very natural person_,' Steve thought to himself as Adena pulled on a black jean jacket.

"So, are we ready to go?" she asked, picking up her purse.

Nodding, Steve went and opened the door for her. When she passed him, he caught a whiff of light perfume in the air. Closing the door behind him, he couldn't but wonder why she wore perfume for dinner with Tony, but not when she was around _him_.

* * *

The last time I'd been in Tony Stark's apartment in Stark Tower, it'd been trashed to hell and back. Now it was perfectly cleaned up, with every little stone and tile back in place. It must be nice being a billionaire who could hire people to get stuff done super-fast. The fact that he was also Iron Man and tons of people were willing to bend over backwards to make him happy probably helped, too.

So, when Cap and I took the nice elevator ride upstairs, after being let in by a receptionist and several security people, it was a surprise to see the living area looking pristine. Jarvis announced our arrival, and a lovely woman in a blue dress with reddish-blonde hair came over.

"Hi there!" she greeted us with a warm smile. "I'm Pepper Potts. You must be Adena Philips and Steve Rogers. Tony's told me a lot about you."

There was a round of handshaking, with polite words all around, before Tony put on his own appearance. "Great, you're here!" he said, coming to shake hands with Cap, then give me a hug and a kiss on my cheek, much to my surprise and Cap's annoyance. "Bruce is downstairs fiddling with a few toys I gave him to play with and research, so he'll be a while. Can I get you guys a drink?"

"Well, I'm not much for hard liquor," I said apologetically. "I don't suppose you've got something on the lighter side?"

Tony smiled and motioned us towards the bar, his arm around Pepper's waist. "Believe me, I can put together any alcoholic beverage you can think of."

"Yeah, apparently science and technology weren't the only things he studied in college," Pepper remarked in a slightly mocking tone.

Tony shrugged. "When in Rome," he said with a grin as he released her and took up his spot behind the bar. "Now, pick your poison."

I was rather impressed when he whipped together a strawberry daiquiri, light on the alcohol, for me. It was delicious, and not too strong, which was perfect. Pepper received a glass of champagne, while Cap stuck with a glass of Coke. Tony tried to get him to have at least one drink, if only to relax a bit, but Cap refused.

"I can't get drunk," he explained, causing all of us to stare at him. "It's because of the serum. I can drink an entire bottle of wine or liquor, and nothing happens."

Well, _that_ was a surprise. "How can I not know that?" I asked him with a frown. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Cap shrugged. "It never came up."

He was trying to annoy me, and I knew it. Rather than show how frustrated I was with my lack of knowledge about him, I merely rolled my eyes. "Is there anything _else_ you'd like to tell me? Any more special abilities you'd like to confess?"

"Not that I can think of," Cap replied, a teasing glint in his eye.

"You're lucky this drink is too tasty to dump over your head," I told him with a glare as I went back to my daiquiri.

Tony, meanwhile, poured himself a scotch and looked thoughtful. "I wish I'd had that ability in college," he said, looking slightly envious as he picked up his glass. "I could have won a lot of bets that way." We all had to laugh at that.

Just then, dinner appeared in a dumbwaiter in the wall by the bar. As this was also a business building, I guessed there was a kitchen downstairs and they were the ones providing the meal.

As he produced the food and set it on a sidebar so that we could help ourselves, Tony explained that the dumbwaiter was a modernized version of a once often-used delivery system.

"It's electronic, fast, and insulated so that food arrives at the temperature it's supposed to," he said, passing out plates and silverware. "Very handy when we want food arriving hot, not lukewarm."

As expected, the meal was delicious. Seated at the bar, we all enjoyed shrimp scampi, sliced beef tenderloin in a light mushroom sauce with potatoes, and dessert was chocolate cake with cherry sauce over it. Too busy eating, none of us made much conversation over the meal.

Once we were all stuffed silly, we all retreated to the living room to sink into the luxuriously comfortable couch and prop our feet up on the table set there. "I'm sorry Bruce missed all this," I said regretfully, cradling my drink as I sipped it.

Tony waved a fork at me. "Don't worry about it," he said while spearing another shrimp. "Bruce has got the same cooks at his beck-and-call. Trust me; anything he wants, he could have delivered to his lab, no problem."

Knowing that Bruce was being well-treated made me feel better about him missing dinner with us. After all that he'd been through, he deserved a bit of pampering, and Tony was clearly seeing to that.

"Oh, Adena, before I forget, I've got something for you," Tony said, getting to his feet and making his way back to the bar.

I looked over at Pepper, who smiled at my confusion. "He's been working hard on this for weeks. Other than working on his suit, I don't think I've seen him this excited about something in ages."

There was only one thing I could think of when it came to Tony Stark working on something for _me_. "Holy crap!" I exclaimed, as the billionaire genius returned, a small, plain white box in his hands. "Don't tell me you actually did it!"

The arrogant smile on his face said it all. "Child's play, really," he said, opening the box and offering me a device only slightly different from the one I'd played with on Fury's hovercraft. "Jarvis already exists, so it was only a matter of-"

I practically threw my drink onto the table, so that I could take the object from him with one hand, while frantically waving the other at him. "No, no tech talk!" I hurriedly told him. "I'll just take your word for it, thanks."

Pepper and Cap laughed as I took the mini-computer in my hands. It was actually built like one of those cell phones that slide open to reveal a keyboard –only there was no keyboard, just another clear screen, and when the two ends met, it formed a larger screen. All sorts of little icons flashed across the surface in white, blue, or green lights, but they all came together to form a shifting green orb surrounded by three rings.

"Good evening, Miss Adena," greeted a British-accented voice. It was slightly different than Jarvis's, but it still sounded surprisingly human.

"Meet Jarvis 2," Tony said with a flourish of his hand, almost as though he were presenting this thing at an expo. "He isn't as complex as Jarvis is, but he can still do a hell of a lot more than the usual cell phone or computer." He paused for a second. "Although, he can also be used as a cell phone. He's got that capability."

Looking at the computerize cell phone in my hands, I asked, "So, it's kind of a lesser version of Jarvis?" I asked. Tony nodded. "Well, since we don't want to confuse the two, I'll this one JT, short for Jarvis 2."

"JT it is," Tony declared with a grin.

The system in my hands beeped. "I have saved this new identification into my programming, Miss," it said. "I have also taken the liberty of saving your voice for future commands and requests."

I gave Tony a puzzled look. "That's so only you can ask JT to do things for you," he explained. "He'll only follow your orders, and whoever you specifically ask him to obey. You also have the option of putting road blocks in place, so that JT will follow other's command up to a certain point, then stop, so that no one's orders get put above yours."

"Very handy," I said, feeling very excited.

"Well, Captain, I think we should leave the lovely ladies to talk," Tony commented, giving Cap a pointed look. "Why don't you and I go check on Banner? I want to be sure he hasn't blown up any of my expensive equipment."

Cap didn't look happy about it, but surprisingly didn't put up much of a fuss, either. I guess he remembered our talk earlier, and wanted to go make friends with Tony –or at least go say 'hi' to Bruce. Or maybe he wanted to give me the chance to make friends with Pepper. Whatever the reason, Cap headed out with Tony, giving me a small smile as they disappeared down the elevator.

Left to our own devices, Pepper and I looked at each other and exchanged awkward smiles. "So," I said, gently setting JT in my bag and retrieving my drink from the coffee table.

Pepper laughed softly. "So, you're the young lady who got caught up in the whole invasion mess," she gently teased. "It seems that we've got something in common."

A memory tickled in the back of my head. "Oh, right!" I exclaimed. "You were in the middle of that incident with the guy wrecking the Stark Expo last year, huh?"

She nodded. "So I guess you could say the two of us are now experienced at being in danger." Pepper paused a minute. "Though I think being held hostage by an alien invader takes you a step above me in that category."

I had to laugh. "Not that we're keeping score, of course," I teased.

This time, we both laughed, and after that, conversation got easier. I discovered that, besides being beautiful, Pepper was fun, fiery, smart, and a perfect match against Tony's fun-loving behavior. She was good when it came to business, and no doubt helped kick Tony's serious side into gear whenever it was needed by the company, or in regards to being Iron Man.

She was also very kind, and generously offered to be available whenever I needed another girl to talk to. Since all of my female friends were back at my old hometown (or an international spy that was currently ghosting across the world), I happily took her up on it. I even offered to be an open ear for her, though unlike me, Pepper probably had a lot of female friends she could talk to.

"And if Tony and I are at his house in California, or jetting around the globe, feel free to call me," she said. "Use JT to contact me; I'm sure he'll be able to connect to my phone, no matter where I am."

I hurriedly pulled out JT and asked him to save Pepper's number for future reference. He obeyed, and I made a mental note to transfer all of my other cell phone stuff over to him as soon as I got back to the apartment.

Over the last of our drinks, Pepper managed to extract a promise from me. "Tony seems to like and trust both you and Captain Rogers, so I know he'd want me making this offer," she said, putting a hand on mine. "If you ever need anything, let us know. If it's money, or a favor, you can call us –we'll get whatever you need to you."

That was a _very_ generous offer, but even as I tried to turn it down, Pepper wouldn't let me. "With you being his friends, Tony wouldn't want anything to happen to either one of you. He knows that life isn't going to be easy for either you or Captain Rogers –in all likelihood, you're both going to eventually need someone rich and powerful as a friend. Besides, the least we could do is help make the Captain's transition into modern life a _little_ easier on him."

Reluctantly, I accepted it, if only because Pepper looked so insistent. And to be honest, it was mostly for Cap that I did; with him being so far out of the modern loop, it might be nice having someone to contact if we got in any kind of trouble.

Our talk turned back to being lighthearted, though I still felt strange at adding Tony Stark's assistant to my emergency phone list.

* * *

AN: More of Tony, Steve, and Bruce in the next chapter! Review?


	4. Friends, cont

Disclaimer: Sadly, I own nothing related to Marvel, either the comics, movies, TV shows, etc. All of that belongs to the Disney Corporation (though I might try kidnapping Captain America and Hawkeye some day, just for fun).

AN: Here's anther chapter! Thanks so much for reading, and please don't forget to review!

**Chapter 4: Friends:**

Steve really didn't want to leave Adena alone, but he had done it anyway –after all, he couldn't begrudge her finding a new female friend, and Miss Potts seemed like someone Adena could turn to when she needed a woman to talk with.

And so, leaving Adena to make a new acquaintance, Steve took the elevator down with Tony, the two of them standing in awkward silence as they headed down to the laboratories.

Steve would never admit it to anyone, but he was rather uneasy about going to visit Doctor Banner. Oh, he liked the man, but it was hard to be comfortable in the presence of someone who could turn extremely large, violent and green when angry.

But Steve was willing to push past his worries about Doctor Banner, because he really was a good man –soft-spoken and somewhat shy, the good doctor was fun and interesting to be around. Adena rather liked him, but then, Adena pretty much liked everyone in the Avengers team, even with the heavy 'baggage' they all came with. It was how she was, and Steve had to admire her willingness to be friendly to practically everyone she came across. It was part of who she was, and he liked it.

When the elevator stopped and the doors opened, Steve felt his eyes widen. The sheer amount of technology on this floor would make even Director Fury's agents stare.

Not being in touch with modern technology, Steve really had no idea what he was looking at or what the machines did, but clearly, there were a lot of projects being worked on. What really shocked him the most, though, was that there were no other people working on this entire level except for Doctor Banner, who was currently stewing over one piece of technology or another.

"Banner!" Tony called, getting the other man's attention. "What's up? You missed dinner with Rogers and Adena!"

Bruce looked at his watch, eyes widening when he saw the time. "Aw, jeez," he sighed. "Sorry; I got so caught up in this piece of work, I lost track of time. Is Adena still up there? I wanted to say hello."

Tony shrugged and went over to a small refrigerator and pulled out a soda can, which he promptly opened and took a quick drink from. "Yup, still there, though she's talking girl-stuff with Pepper. I wouldn't go up there for a while."

Bruce winced and got himself his own soda. "Good point." He looked over at Steve. "Remember, it's never a good idea to interrupt women when they're talking in pairs or in groups."

Steve couldn't tell if he was joking or not, but he decided to make a mental note of that anyway –he didn't like interrupting people in the first place, but when it came to women, it was probably a good idea to _not_ break into their conversation.

Taking a seat in stool-like chair (one of many scattered around the room), Steve accepted a can of soda from Tony and took a sip. For a little while, there was awkward silence, the three men simply drinking and listening to the soft hum of the ceiling lights.

Clearing his throat, Steve gave Tony a glance. "Thank you for giving Adena that small computer," he said, feeling slightly uncomfortable with the whole thing. "I know she'll have fun with it."

Tony smiled; a genuine one that had only the smallest trace of arrogance in it. "I certainly hope so, after all the work Banner and I put into it."

The hand lifting his soda to his mouth froze. "What do you mean?" Steve asked slowly. Inside, he was immediately suspicious, his mind wondering what the two brilliant minds before him had done to Adena's new toy.

Tony shrugged. "We wanted to make sure that Adena had a small 'angel' watching over her, in case."

Bruce rolled his eyes. "He means that, given what happened to her with Loki, we figured that if she was going to be a friend of ours and attached to The Avengers in any way, she might find herself in danger, if only because she keeps company with us."

Steve hadn't thought of that, and wished that he had. "So, what did you two come up with?"

A broad grin lit up Tony's face. "Well, after remembering how guilty you felt when Adena was taken, I talked it over with Bruce, and we tried to come up with as many untraceable and unnoticeable safety protocols as we could fit into that little phone of hers."

He reached into his pocket and produced a device similar to Adena's. "Her system, now known as JT, is directly connected to Jarvis's main system. This is so that if JT can't do something for her in an emergency, JT can alert Jarvis, who can help in a situation or let me know that she's in trouble."

Bruce nodded in agreement. "Like Jarvis, Adena's system is voice activated, but with a greater sensitivity. If she's in trouble and can only communicate by whispering, Jarvis 2, or JT as it's now known, will pick up on that. The system will either respond in a quiet tone, or simply do as she asks without answering her aloud.

"The computer will also pick up on any sudden change in her vital signs, such as pulse and body temperature, which might indicate that she's afraid or panicked. If that happens, JT will send a message to Tony and let him know what's going on. JT will even alert SHIELD, if needed."

"JT can also do what Jarvis can, even though he's so small," Tony explained, taking another sip of his drink. "If she's imprisoned in an electronic cage and she's got JT with her, he can try and hack into the computer system to try and provide a distraction, giving her time to escape. Hacking into other systems is something Jarvis and I are particularly good at, so I made sure to put that little trait into JT."

"Not that JT can override Jarvis," Bruce put in. "There's a safety protocol built in to prevent that. Jarvis and JT can talk to each other, and work something out, but Jarvis is more advanced and a bigger system, so even if Adena wanted to take control of Jarvis, she couldn't."

Tony cleared his throat. "Not that you can tell her this, but I also put a tracking device inside of JT, just in case. If she goes missing, let me know, and I'll have her location in less than a minute."

The relief on Steve's face must have shown, because Bruce gave him a sympathetic look. "We all know how hard it was for you when she was taken," he said. "Heck, even _I_ was upset about it! This not only makes you feel better about her safety, but it helps us, too."

Steve had to admit, having others looking out for Adena did make him feel better. Though he had come to a minor peace with what had happened to her, Steve still felt somewhat responsible for her abduction. With Tony and Bruce's scientific minds channeled into a small device that Adena could carry around on her person, Steve felt a bit of that burden lift off his shoulders.

'_It's not gone completely, of course_,' he thought to himself as he put aside his empty soda can. '_I can't help but worry about her, and I think I always will. But if she's got JT with her all the time, she'll have another means of being watched over_.' At least he knew that, even if _he_ wasn't there to help, JT could summon aid right to her.

Tony handed him another soda, which Steve promptly popped open. In the back of his head, he wanted to tell Adena all about the little safety measures that had been put into her new computer, but it would probably be best if most of it remained secret, at least for now. Steve didn't want to offend her, but Adena might think that they doubted her ability to take care of herself, and that they were being overprotective of her for no reason.

'_But we have every reason to worry_,' he thought, taking another drink. '_Adena can't fight, and doesn't like using weapons, so that leaves her the most vulnerable of us_.'

If someone got hold of her, they could easily use her against The Avengers. And as much as it pained him to think it, Steve knew that he couldn't be with her all the time –sometime in the future, there were bound to be days when she wanted to go out and do something on her own, without him in tow. That wouldn't be for a while, at least until the both of them were comfortable with Steve's progress, but it would still happen, and he would have to let her walk out their apartment door without him beside her.

For some reason, that last thought saddened him, but Steve quickly pushed it out of his mind. Sooner or later, he would have to go out and explore on his own, but part of him really didn't want to do it without Adena. He liked her company, and her ways of explaining things were clear and interesting, not to mention fun.

Trying to distract himself from gloomy thoughts, Steve asked what Bruce was working on. The others tried to simplify their answers, since they knew he couldn't understand most of what they were talking about. From what Steve could gather, it was a small, portable battery that was self-sustaining and long-lasting.

"I've got one powering this building," Tony said proudly. "But I want to make reactors and batteries for not only buildings and cities, but also for electronics and cars. JT has a battery, but it's a special one: he not only can be recharged through the wall, but also through solar power and thermal heat, meaning that if Adena keeps him tucked in her jean pocket, she'll keep it powered."

Bruce raised a hand. "_That_ detail, we should tell her about," he said pointing a finger at Steve. "She'll be thrilled to hear about that. I wouldn't let her know about the tracking device and other security stuff, since she probably wouldn't like it, but the fun stuff would be alright to admit, I think."

Tony nodded his agreement. "Meanwhile, we'd better get back upstairs," he declared, getting up from his chair. "I think we left the women alone too long. Are you joining us, Bruce? I think Adena would like to see you before she and Rogers head home."

Bruce agreed, and the three men headed back up to the apartment.

* * *

Hanging out with Pepper was more fun than I thought it would be –if only because she had some great stories to tell about her travels around the world, and about Tony.

I swear, I could sit and listen to her talk for hours about the fashion shows she got to see in Paris and Milan; the race car competitions in Monte Carlo; and the different monuments in countries she got to see, all because she was busy being Tony Stark's assistant.

But being the female brain behind Tony Stark wasn't all fun and games. I really did have to admire the work she did, either trailing behind Tony and making things easier for him, or doing things outright and not often getting the recognition she so rightfully deserved. Clearly, even though it was Tony's company, there really was a strong woman working behind the man at the top.

"You know," Pepper said as she poured out two glasses of champagne, my daiquiri now long gone. "For a genius, Tony's pretty helpless when it comes to real-life stuff. I don't think he would make it very long without someone taking care of his everyday stuff."

We currently were seated on the floor by the coffee table, a tray of cold leftovers from dinner at hand so that the two of us could nibble. The champagne was an added bonus that we were both enjoying.

"Seriously?" I asked, picking up a glass with one hand while the other speared a lukewarm shrimp. "I mean, Tony's a pretty smart guy. Are you saying he can't pick up a phone and dial it on his own?"

I was rewarded with Pepper's soft laugh. "Sometimes, it seems that way," she replied. "He doesn't even know his social security number. Not everyone does, but he's never had to do his own taxes or fill out business forms –as head of Stark Industries, he only has to sign whatever I put in front of him."

"Wow, does he need a lesson in reality," I muttered. "Maybe it's time you let him do his own stuff for a while."

Pepper simply chuckled. "No, if I did that, I might find his house or apartment in complete chaos. I don't mind the work, since it's what I've studied and trained for. Besides, it keeps me busy, and I like being busy."

Sipping her champagne, she gave me a close look. "I do admire what you do, though, Adena. I don't think I'd have the patience to teach a full-grown adult more than seventy years of history, technology, and a dozen other things that I can't possibly think of. You'll be working harder than me, to teach Captain Rogers all that!"

I shrugged. "It's not so bad, really. Besides, it's not like I'm teaching a teenager or anything -Cap's a soldier, and he's pretty smart, so he picks stuff up quickly."

Taking a sip from my glass, I frowned thoughtfully to myself. "We do have bad days, though, and it's not just on my part. Even though he's a patient guy, Cap _does_ get frustrated, like any person would in his situation, but we go to the gym so that he can do a few rounds with the punching bags and blow off steam."

Pepper nodded in agreement. "That's a good way to do it. Tony tends to go down to his personal lab and build things or blow them up, so I know how that goes."

We both exchanged looks that said the same thing: _men_! This was quickly followed by giggles, and it kind of became clear that we were both getting a bit buzzed from the alcohol we were consuming.

At that point, the doors to the elevator opened, and in walked Tony and Cap, with another man trailing along behind them. I immediately hauled myself to my feet and set down my glass so that I could run up for a hug.

"Bruce!" I cried, practically throwing myself at him. "I'm so happy to see you!"

He laughed and squeezed me back. "You missed me, I see. How have you been?"

"I'm good," I answered with a peck on his cheek. "How have you been? Has Tony been keeping you busy? Is that why you weren't here for dinner?"

"Yes, it is," he replied, going to take a seat on the floor. "And if you don't mind, I'm going to snag some of this, before it disappears."

Pepper handed him a clean fork and plate, which he gratefully accepted before digging into the leftover food. The rest of us went to sit on the couch or the floor, occasionally reaching over to nibble as Tony tried explaining his intentions of using miniature ARC-based batteries in electronic devices. It sounded interesting, and like a huge breakthrough in the electronic world, even though it was nowhere near ready for showing the world yet. But when he and Bruce got to the more technological aspects, they totally lost the rest of us.

They must have seen the blank looks on our faces, because Bruce and Tony quickly changed the subject. Instead, they explained the battery charging aspects of JT, as well as some of the more fun features that I had on it.

I brought out JT and looked closely at it. There was so much I could do with it, but part of me really didn't want to –I wasn't one for using technology to do what I could handle on my own. Still, it might be nice having a pocket computer/cell phone that was way more advanced than what was currently out there. Besides, JT might prove to be useful in helping with Cap's education –though I would have to figure out _how_.

"So how goes the reeducation of the Captain?" Bruce asked around a mouthful of beef. "Making any progress?"

Cap and I exchanged looks. "To a point," I replied. "We've made progress in history and music, and are starting to make our way into the different ethnic foods of the world. Cap's being a bit resistant, however."

The others smiled or chuckled, but didn't tease him, which I appreciated. Cap looked embarrassed enough, and I really didn't feel like breaking up a verbal fight between him and Tony (who I could always count on saying something stupid).

Talk moved on to what was going on in the city, and how the cleanup was progressing. Since Tony had donated money to the cause, he was kept up-to-date on where the funds were being channeled, and told us that, so far, transportation was getting first priority.

"There was a lot of damage done to the streets during the attack, and more than a few subway tunnels, too," Tony informed us. "No _collapsed_ tunnels, thank goodness, but in order for people and supplies to be brought in, the roads had to be repaired. That's where most of my money is going, though some of it might be spent on repairing buildings or small businesses."

Bruce looked a little guilty when the trashed buildings were mentioned, so I had to hurry and assure him that it wasn't his (or the Hulk's) fault that some places had giant holes in their walls or windows. Pepper seconded that, but Bruce still looked bummed about it.

"I know I ran through at least three or four buildings during the battle," he said sorrowfully. "Hopefully those places are structurally intact."

Tony immediately promised to find out, and would loan out his own preferred construction company to those the Hulk had done most damage to. Those damaged companies could probably afford to fix it all on their own, but it was still a nice gesture on Tony's part.

By then, it was getting late, and I was yawning. Cap noticed, and declared it was time for us to go. We were briefly caught up in the chaos of farewells, followed by Pepper insisting that she and I go shopping one of these days, just us girls. Cap encouraged this, probably because it meant that he didn't have to go with us.

Bruce gave Cap a handshake and the offer to hang out together as guys, which _I_ encouraged, as it would be good for my poor student to have male company. Cap seemed to agree with me, and nodded his acceptance of the invitation as we headed for the elevator.

On the ride down to the ground floor, Cap took a deep breath, as though he'd just suffered through a bout of torture. I had to look at him with an amused smile. "What, you don't like hanging out with people?" I teased as we sped downwards.

A little bit of tension seemed to drain out of him. "I've just never been one for socializing," Cap admitted with a small frown.

I put a hand on his shoulder. "Well, I think it'd be good for you to have people to spend time with. We can't have Captain America isolating himself and becoming a hermit, now, can we?"

He rolled his eyes, but wisely said nothing –probably because he knew I'd win. The rest of the elevator ride was silent, but once we were in the car, Cap asked, "So, did you and Miss Potts seem to get along alright?"

"Yes, I think so," I replied around a yawn, the alcohol I'd consumed now making me sleepy. "She even offered us help, if we need it for any reason, which I thought was nice of her."

He gave me a suspicious look. "Help? What kind of help?"

I rolled my eyes at his worrying. "She simply said that if we needed a favor or any kind of aid that Director Fury or SHIELD couldn't provide, we could call on her or Tony. Since I doubt there's anything that Fury _can't_ help us out with, I'm pretty sure that we won't be calling on Tony Stark for help anytime soon."

Cap relaxed a bit, and I let my eyes drift shut a little until we arrived back at the apartment building. There, Cap was nice enough to help me upstairs, but left me alone to get ready for bed. Needless to say, I slept very well, and very deeply.

* * *

Steve couldn't be comfortable with Tony Stark offering to do him or Adena any favors. Even though he trusted the man, he didn't like the idea of begging for help from anyone. Getting Director Fury's help was one thing; they wouldn't owe him anything afterwards. But one could never tell what to expect with Tony Stark.

'_Stop it_,' Steve lectured himself. '_Tony's a good man, and Adena both likes and trusts him. That should be enough for you. After all, he's given her JT, hasn't he, and asked nothing in return_?'

That still didn't make him feel much better, though. As he drifted off to sleep, Steve wrestled with the idea of Adena turning to anyone for help, other than him. True, he wasn't rich, or brilliant like Bruce or Tony, but he could still help whenever he could.

'_But maybe she'd ask Tony for a favor if it were __**you**__ in trouble_,' reasoned part of his brain.

Part of Steve's stubbornness melted. If it was for _his_ sake, he knew Adena would ask Tony for help. Adena wasn't the sort of person to call in favors without first trying to figure things out on her own –if there was something that she couldn't handle, Adena most certainly would use all of her resources to make it happen, including calling Tony.

Relaxing just enough to fall asleep, Steve found himself feeling just a little bit better about the whole situation…but only a little.

* * *

AN: Review?


	5. Broadening Horizons

Disclaimer: Sadly, I own nothing related to Marvel, either the comics, movies, TV shows, etc. All of that belongs to the Disney Corporation (though I might try kidnapping Captain America and Hawkeye some day, just for fun).

AN: Another update! Enjoy, and please don't forget to review! Thanks!

**Chapter 5: Broadening Horizons:**

Today, I decided to make our outing special. Cap had kindly put up with Tony's company all night, so to thank him for his efforts, I felt that making today a holiday was the least I could do.

"We're going to the park," I declared over breakfast, almost causing Cap to have a spit-take with his eggs.

He gave me the strangest look as he put his fork down. "And what are we going to be doing at the park?" Cap slowly asked, as though he were afraid of the answer.

Sighing, I barely kept myself from rolling my eyes in annoyance. "We're going to take a nice break," I replied. "You need some serious sunshine and fresh air, and Central Park is the only place in this city where you'll get plenty of both."

I thought about it a bit. "We'll take a blanket, go to a deli, get some sandwiches and drinks, and head to the Park. If you want, we can even go to the library to get books, or I could load one onto the tablet, so that you've got something to read."

Cap perked up at that, and seemed to get a bit more excited. I took that as a good sign, and let myself relax. "Okay, let's get ready to go in a little bit. You find a blanket that we can get dirty, and I'll grab a few things we'll probably need for the day."

Sadly, we didn't have a picnic basket, but there were a few cloth shopping bags in the cupboards, no doubt provided by the SHIELD agents who had done Cap's shopping before I arrived. Presently, our food was _still_ coming in via Fury's people, but that was going to stop soon, since the city was settling back to normal. I looked forward to getting Cap back into a grocery store again, if only to expose him to new foods and things.

I hastily tucked the bags inside one another, hoping that the multiple layers would keep the food from spoiling, and went to see what else we'd need. I tucked the tablet inside my purse, with the silent hope that Central Park had wireless internet, as well as some suntan lotion and, of course, JT. By then, I was ready, and Cap was waiting by the front door.

"Let's go," I said, whipping out JT as I thought of something. "JT, can you tell me where we can find the nearest Italian deli with positive feedback and reviews?"

He was quick to display names and locations on the clear screen. "Great," I happily declared. "Now, how about one that's close by?"

That was easily done, and I soon had a destination and map ready. Pleased, I grabbed Cap by the arm and dragged him outside.

* * *

In no time, we were at a deli counter, one of the many eateries back in the full swing of business. Unfortunately, Cap looked beyond puzzled at what to order, as shown by his expression as we stood at the counter. Taking the reins, I decided to order for us both and go basic, purchasing some Italian-seasoned roast beef on soft rolls, with dipping juice on the side, and a few bags of chips. I also purchased some sliced salami, for nibbling, and several chilled bottled drinks, to stay hydrated.

When I saw the amount left on the debit card I'd used to pay, I winced. It was the same card Director Fury had given me when I'd first arrived, and the amount on it was getting low. That was no wonder, considering I'd used it to buy clothes for me; food for us (before the invasion); and Cap's trip to the mall. Luckily, SHIELD had been providing food for us since the invasion; otherwise we'd be in serious trouble.

'_Of course, I haven't had a chance to ask the Director when I'm getting paid_,' I reminded myself. '_Or when our supplies from SHIELD will stop, now that things are getting back to normal in the city_.'

Given that I'd been so busy helping Cap and staying safe in a partially-destroyed New York, it was no wonder I'd had other things on my mind. Heck, I didn't even know if Cap was getting a weekly or monthly allowance from the government, since he didn't exactly have an average job. I'd have to figure everything out and fix that soon, though, before we were broke.

From the deli, our SHIELD driver took us to Central Park, which had thankfully been untouched in the invasion attack. As he dropped us off, our driver told us he'd be back around mid-afternoon to pick us up. "The Director needs me for an errand," the driver explained. He didn't elaborate, and I wasn't sure I wanted to know, so I kept quiet.

Cap was kind enough to handle the heavy bags of food while I handled the blanket and my purse. As we entered the park, I noticed someone selling Frisbees and cheap plastic boomerangs, and immediately purchased one of each.

"For you to play and exercise with," I explained as he gave me a puzzled look.

We managed to find a nice spot on the grass, and after the blanket was spread out, we stretched out and relaxed, the sun soaking into our skin. I slathered on some suntan lotion, but Cap passed on it, claiming it was too greasy-looking. I hoped that, with his super-soldier abilities, not getting sunburned was one of them!

For a while, we sat there: me reading a book I'd brought, and Cap laying there, basking. All around us were the normal park sounds of kids playing, dogs barking, people laughing and having a good time, and traffic going by in the distance. There was the chime of an ice cream cart passing close by, and the sounds of cheering, shrieking children eager for a treat. The air was full of different smells: cooking hot dogs from a passing hot dog cart; freshly cut or trampled grass; flowers in bloom; and suntan lotion of all different scents. Compared to the hustle-and-bustle of the city, it was rather peaceful.

"This is nice," Cap drowsily said from his spot beside me.

Pulling my attention away from my book, I looked over at him and tried not to ogle at the sight he presented. Luckily, his eyes were closed, so he didn't see me staring at his fit form showing through his thin, white cotton shirt, which was hugging him quite well in all the right places. He also didn't see several women looking his way, some of them very happy to check him out, and all of whom I had to steer away with a hard warning glare.

None of this was noticed by him, which was why, for the first time since I'd met him, he looked relaxed and content. It was good to see him like this, and I made a note to have us do a 'park day' whenever possible, especially since he deserved it.

"Yes, it is nice," I agreed. "Let me know when you want a sandwich, okay? We've got plenty to eat and drink, so we can stay here as long as you want."

Things were quiet after that, the two of us soaking up the sun and the peace we both felt in the air around us.

* * *

As soon as Cap's stomach started to grumble, I pulled out the sandwiches, chips and drinks. We both dug in with relish, savoring every bite and the relaxed atmosphere.

After our sandwiches were gone, Cap insisted on getting us ice cream, which I happily agreed to. I handed him some cash I had in my wallet, and he quickly returned with two cones, both chocolate with sprinkles. I had no idea how he knew I liked sprinkles on my ice cream, but shrugged it off.

Digging into my cone, I made a mental note to get some ice cream the next time we hit the store. We didn't have any ice cream in the apartment, because none of our SHIELD agents included it in the supplies they brought us. Now that the grocery stores were open and starting to get fully-stocked again, we could pick some up on our next trip there, which would be soon.

When our stomachs were full, Cap and I once again stretched out on the blanket. I was about ready to take a nap when I felt him tap me on the shoulder.

"So, what's a Frisbee?" Cap quietly asked.

I had to laugh. "Good question," I replied, sitting up to reach for my purchases.

I explained that the plastic disk could be tossed back and forth, from person to person, or a person to their dog. It was good for exercise, and fun, too. Cap liked that it was circular, like his shield, and thought it would be fun to try out.

"It won't come back to you, like your shield will," I warned. "That's why you need two to play, so that you aren't always running after it, like you would a rogue ball."

I pulled out the boomerang. "This, though, will come back after you throw it, but it takes time, skill and practice to handle. Sometimes people lose track of it, and it comes back when they aren't looking, and can kill them, because of the force behind it. So be careful when playing with this one, okay, and make sure that people are far away when you do!"

Cap seemed amused at my warning, but promised to be careful, even as I blushed in embarrassment when remembering that his shield was basically like a round boomerang. "Would you like to join me?" he asked, holding up the Frisbee.

My cheeks flushed. "Um," I hesitated, looking at the red object, "Cap, I've never told you this, but I'm extremely clumsy when it comes to sports. You don't want to know the disasters that have happened to me while handling sports items."

For a second, he looked sympathetic. "I know how that is," he murmured. "I don't think you've ever seen a photo of me before I joined the Army."

From a back pocket, he pulled out his wallet, and produced a picture of a skinny young man not much taller than me. In fact, he looked a bit sickly and pale, even in the black-and-white image. I took a closer look, and saw that it was him.

"No way this is you," I said in disbelief.

The young man did have nearly the same face as Cap, but it was thinner, scrawny even. But the kind look in his eyes was exactly like the one in the man sitting beside me now, and that was proof enough for me.

"Wow," I murmured. "Now _that's_ a transformation!"

"Thanks." Cap took the picture back and put it away. "So, what do you say?" He smirked. "I promise I'll go easy on you."

Reaching out, I smacked him on the shoulder and would have made a teasing reply if JT hadn't interrupted. "Miss, you have a call," my computer-phone calmly informed me. "Would you like to accept it?"

I quickly removed it from my purse. "Yes, thank you, JT," I replied, putting the phone to my ear. "Hello?"

"Miss Philips?" said a familiar voice.

I blinked in surprise. "Director Fury?" I tentatively asked, not really sure if I should be happy he was calling me or not.

"Yes," he briskly replied. "I wanted you to know that I'm sending your driver to pick you up. He has a packet of important documents and cards to pass on to you, including papers regarding your pay. I apologize for being so late with it, but considering everything that's been happening, I'm afraid I got rather behind on my paperwork."

"Oh, it's no trouble, sir," I hurriedly assured him as Cap gave me a puzzled look. "Thanks for organizing that, though. I was starting to get a bit worried when my debit card started running low."

"Well, that won't be happening again," the Director informed me. "Your due pay will appear in your bank account accordingly, and the card you're currently using will be filled monthly with a stipend for you and Captain Rogers to spend on basic needs. The money paid into your account is for personal items you'd care to buy. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir," I replied. "And thank you. This means a great deal to me."

"You're welcome. Now, enjoy your day. I hear it's a beautiful one." And then he was gone.

I quickly hung up and asked JT to access my bank accounts, so that I could see how they stood. My eyes almost fell out of my head at the amount I saw there –it seemed that Director Fury decided to be extra generous with my pay.

"Wow," I breathed in surprise. "I guess working for the government really does pay off." Either that or he felt bad about my being kidnapped by Loki, and thought that a big bonus would make up for it.

Cap looked amused as I explained our financial situation. "He's got the same setup for me, except I use cash instead of that plastic card. I've seen you use it, and sort of understand how it works, but it seems more real, having money in my hands than on a piece of plastic."

I completely understood how he felt. "I do, too, but sometimes, if the purchase is too big, plastic is the way to go. I'll explain that to you when we get home. Right now, we've got to pack up, because the driver's coming."

He scowled. "He's early. Did you want to stay longer?"

Looking at my arms, I poked them, checking to see if I had a burn or a tan going. "Nope, we'd better go. I'm getting a bit too crispy, and if I'm out here much longer, I'll get sunburned." Cap understood and helped me pack up, both of us making sure to dump our trash in the metal bins.

The walk back through the park was a nice one. Since we didn't know where the driver was going to be, JT gave us directions to where the car was, so we were able to enjoy the scenery on the walk to the curb.

In the car, our driver handed me a large manila envelope that had several papers in it, as well as a small stack of cards. I found a state ID card for Cap, as well as a library card for each of us, and a New York State ID for myself. For Cap, there was also a Social Security Card, and a passport. I doubted that we'd be doing any international travel anytime soon, but at least he had it, just in case SHIELD needed him to travel.

"It seems a bit much," he muttered as he tucked the ID card away in his wallet.

I shrugged. "That's how it is, these days. But as long as you have that ID on you, you're set. If you want, you could take driving lessons, so that you can get around on your own."

He shook his head. "No, I think I'm fine. If I want to head out somewhere without a driver, I'll take that motorcycle the Director gave us to use."

"You'll need a license for that," I warned him.

"That's covered," the driver said. "His motorcycle license should be in there somewhere."

I checked the envelope, and found it at the bottom –it had somehow escaped the others. "Here," I said, handing it to Cap. "Don't lose it."

He promised not to, and quickly put it away. The rest of the ride home was quiet, but content…at least until we actually got to our destination.

* * *

Back at the apartment, I announced that we needed a trip to the grocery store, but this time for fun items that _weren't_ healthy for us. Surprisingly, Cap seemed just as eager to head out, so after a quick cleanup from the park, we hopped back into the car and asked the driver to take us to the store.

At first glance, the market looked as it normally did: the produce was neatly stacked, the shelves were fully lined with products, and people were slowly heading up and down the aisles, checking prices and picking up items. There were even a few employees handing out little samples to people.

But on closer inspection, I could see that the produce stacks were smaller than usual, and the supplies on the shelves were only two or three rows deep, at most. The samples were small, and the employees looked a bit strained.

'_Guess that shouldn't be surprising, since deliveries are only now getting into the city more frequently_,' I thought to myself as I dragged Cap to the junk food aisle. '_They probably don't have much that they're able to sell, much less give out as samples_.'

At least the prices hadn't gone up. Not that Cap and I couldn't afford a small price increase, but I doubted that others were as financially lucky as we were.

With a small basket on my arm, I had cut down the chance of us overindulging when buying junk food, but it could still hold quite a bit of stuff. Unfortunately, I'd forgotten that Cap hadn't heard of about eighty percent of the products on the shelves, and unlike his reluctance to try ethnic foods, when it came to sweets, he was _very_ eager to try new things. If I hadn't put a limit on what he could get, the basket would have been overflowing in less than ten minutes.

Walking out with our purchases, I did a quick tally: a bag of Oreos, two different flavors of ice cream, two bags of flavored potato chips, a box of Twinkies, and another box of frosted chocolate cupcakes. I also picked up some veggies for dinner for the week, and jarred pasta sauce, as well as spaghetti noodles, for dinner. Some herbs and fresh basil made it in, too, though how the store managed to get such fresh herbs was beyond me.

Back the apartment, I had JT do a quick lookup of easy pasta sauce recipes and asked Cap if he was willing to try one of them. We agreed on one, and I dove in to sorting out the ingredients.

As I prepped everything, Cap stood by and watched. "I've never known you to willingly cook before," he said as I pulled out the basil for a quick wash.

"Well, I love pasta, and if I have to make it myself, I will," I cheerfully declared. "Besides, you agreed to try spaghetti, so don't think about complaining."

It was weird having JT give me the cooking directions aloud, with Cap standing there watching –I didn't like people staring at me when I did something, but soon I was too busy to notice. In the time it took to chop, cook, boil, taste, and finalize the pasta and sauce, I lost track of time, and barely noticed Cap moving around me to get the place settings for the table.

When dinner was done, I was exhausted. Even though I had used jar sauce, I'd still taken the trouble of cooking onions, adding the sauce, and dusting in some herbs and basil to give it a freshness that jar sauce just didn't have. For the most part, I liked the way the sauce had come out, but since I'd been standing over it for who-knows-how-long, my sense of taste was thrown off by constantly smelling what I'd been cooking. It was up to a second party to decide if it was done.

"Cap?" I called, summoning him to the kitchen. "Can you taste this?"

He obediently came into the kitchen and grabbed a teaspoon, me watching anxiously as he dipped it into the simmering sauce and scooping up a spoonful. My heart was in my throat as he cautiously cooled it and took a taste.

For a long, agonizing second, I watched as he appeared to think about what he'd just eaten. "Well?" I asked, fearful of what the verdict might be.

To my complete and utter relief, Cap smiled at me. "It's delicious," he said as I heaved a sigh of relief. "So, what about the pasta?"

I shooed him to the dining room. "I'll let you know when it's done."

When we sat down at the table five minutes later, I had the privilege of showing Cap how to eat spaghetti. He seemed to like the twirling technique I showed him, and it looked like he enjoyed the food, so that left me feeling pretty darn good about my cooking –but not enough for me to attempt to cook stuff like again anytime soon.

Dessert was ice cream, and by the time the dishes were done (courtesy of Cap), I was ready for bed. "I think I'll turn in early," I told him, much to his surprise. "Too much good food, cooking, and sunshine in one day."

Satisfied with my explanation, he didn't stop me, and instead wished me a goodnight. And after the day I'd had, it's really no wonder I slept like a log.

* * *

Staring out the large windows, Steve mentally went over the day in his head. He honestly couldn't remember the last time he'd been able to relax like he had today.

Back during his days in the Army, fighting the Nazis and Red Skull's men had been his priority. Even when he was supposed to be on leave, his mind had been focused on defeating the enemy and keeping the world safe. But even before then, the war had reached deep into Brooklyn, and Steve had done his best to raise the hopes of his neighbors. Truth be told, it had been a long time since he'd enjoyed a day where there was no fear of an enemy reaching over the sea to rain evil from the sea or sky.

Today had been heaven. It had felt great, doing nothing but lay on the grass in the sunshine and listen to the quiet chaos of grownups, children, and pets playing. The sandwiches had been deliciously filling, and the ice cream the perfect end to their day in the park. The only chore had been grocery shopping, which Adena had made fun by declaring that they were getting what she called "junk food," which consisted of things that he hadn't had since before the war, as well as a few new treats he'd yet to try.

But the pasta! Now Steve knew what he'd been missing, when Adena had insisted that he try new foods. Even if she claimed that she couldn't cook (and probably hated doing it), with JT helping her with recipes, Steve had a feeling that she could be quite good at it.

Watching the sky darken into night, Steve realized that he'd never really thanked Adena for all that she'd done, and was currently doing, for him. He wanted to really show that he appreciated her giving up her old life for him, and to do that, he wanted to get her a gift.

But what? Steve was very inexperienced when it came to giving gifts to women, and even then, the only woman he'd ever given presents to was his mother, and that had been long before he'd become an adult. What did a man give a woman he respected and admired?

An idea tickled the back of his mind: when in doubt, ask for help. And who better to ask than one of Adena's few female friends –like perhaps Miss Pepper Potts?

Steve smiled. The very next time he and Adena visited Stark Tower, he would ask Miss Potts for advice.

* * *

AN: More fun next time! Please review?


	6. A Touch of Culture Shock

Disclaimer: Sadly, I own nothing related to Marvel, either the comics, movies, TV shows, etc. All of that belongs to the Disney Corporation (though I might try kidnapping Captain America and Hawkeye some day, just for fun).

AN: I thought I might have some fun with this chapter by giving Cap a bit of shock when it came to modern life. Please enjoy, and don't forget to review. Thanks!

**Chapter 6: A Touch of Culture Shock:**

After pasta night, Cap became much more open to trying the foods I told him about. However, that _might_ have had something to do with my mentioning that, in some third-world countries, they ate things such as snakes, insects, and bat guano (i.e.: droppings). Keeping that in mind, Cap agreed that the ethnic foods I suggested were infinitely more appealing, and was thankful that I would never ask him to try anything so extremely unappealing.

Today, after hours of history and music lessons, with a touch of popular culture to boot, I decided that, for tonight's dinner, we would start our culinary explorations with one of the more popular types of food: Italian.

Italian was easy, since Cap already liked pizza and pasta. There was, however, far more to Italian food than that, and I was able to talk Cap into going to a nicer Italian restaurant, where we could order a variety of dishes and share them. He agreed.

The restaurant was casual, but the menu was stunning. Cap looked overwhelmed with all the choices, and told me to order anything. I wasn't too surprised at him putting the ordering on me, so I picked out several things that wouldn't be _too_ unfamiliar to him.

He liked the stuffed mushrooms, and the tomatoes with mozzarella cheese and basil on top, but the melon wrapped in Italian ham was a bit too strange for his tastes –apparently ham and fruit shouldn't mix, at least in his opinion.

We shared two pasta dishes, one loaded with seafood, the other with a thick coating of meat sauce that was a thousand times better than the simple tomato sauce I'd made the night before. Seafood was another new one for Cap, who didn't necessarily like the 'fishy smell' of things from the ocean. But considering that the seafood in this dish he was eating had been cooked in butter and salt, he liked the taste just fine.

Dessert was gelato, a favorite of mine, and Cap was a quick fan, since gelato was basically the Italian version of ice cream (though better, in my opinion). He liked the freshness of the fruit mixed with the ice, and made me promise that, the next time we went grocery shopping, we would buy some to keep at the apartment.

When we got home, I broached the idea of trying one or two ethnic foods every week. "We could do Italian for this week, and then next time, we can try something else, like Chinese or Japanese," I suggested. "What do you think?"

Cap thought about it, and agreed. It would keep him from suffering an overload when it came to food, and give him time to think about the culture and ethnicity from which the food had come from.

"And if you don't like something, or want to try something other than what I pick out, let me know," I told him. "I don't want you thinking that I know what you like, especially since you have no experience with these kinds of dishes."

He agreed to this, too, and when we went to bed, it was with a pretty good sense of accomplishment.

* * *

As it turned out, Asian culture was a bit out of Cap's league. Not that he disliked them or anything –he was just a bit weirded out by Chinatown and the odd things they had there.

To anyone unfamiliar with Chinatown, it's pretty easy to have a person's "gross limits" tested the minute they set foot on those streets. But having grown up with parents who loved walking through Chinatown as much as they did the all-American shopping mall, I was used to it.

The roasted ducks hanging in the windows of local restaurants weren't too bad, but the other stuff they had for sale was enough to make anyone not used to seeing them gag. I know that Cap looked a bit green after seeing someone order cooked pig tongues put in a to-go box, but I pulled him away before we could actually see them eat it.

I chose one of the nicer restaurants in Chinatown, and introduced him to Dim Sum –or tried to, anyway. Getting past the chopsticks was an interesting experience, because even though Cap can throw a shield with deadly accuracy, he couldn't handle chopsticks. I eventually had to get him a fork, which he found frustrating, since I kept my pair of sticks to eat with.

"We'll buy a few nice pairs for the apartment, and I'll help you learn how to use them," I promised as the metal carts rolled by, each of them loaded with steaming metal containers that held very tasty contents within.

After nibbling our way through the small dishes, we ended up ordering several noodle dishes, including a bowl of wonton noodle soup that Cap wanted to try. He liked the broth, and the noodles and dumplings, but the greens floating in the bowl were too bitter for him, so he left them.

Not surprisingly, we had leftovers, since the helpings were too big for the both of us to handle. With our little to-go boxes packed up and secured in a plastic bag, I led Cap back out into the bustling streets to explore the rest of Chinatown.

* * *

"What is that?" Steve asked, pointing at one of the hundreds of strange things he didn't recognize.

Adena looked at what he was indicating and smiled. "Dried jellyfish," she said. "They rehydrate it, flavor it with different kinds of Chinese sauces, and serve it in restaurants as an appetizer. If done right, it comes out crunchy and flavorful, and tastes pretty good."

Steve felt his stomach twitch, and decided not to think about it. In his opinion, jellyfish were something that belonged in an aquarium, not on a plate. "And what's that one?" he questioned, looking at some objects hanging from a thin branch.

"That's a fruit," she explained. "You peel it and eat it."

He looked at it even more closely. "It doesn't look like a fruit." And it didn't –at least, not like any fruit he knew of.

She looked even more amused as she picked one off of the branch it was still on and held it up. "It's called dragon eye. When you peel it, the inside looks like a large eye, because the inner flesh is white, and the large seed in the middle is black and shows through, like a pupil."

That did not sound appealing, and it must have showed on his face, because Adena burst out laughing. "Trust me, it's good. The flesh of the fruit is smooth and sweet, and peels off of the seed easily, almost like an orange. They're good fresh, but are still tasty when canned in syrup."

Steve very much appreciated how good she made it sound, but looking at the strange ball in her hand, he shook his head. "No, thanks." She shrugged and put it back in the large plastic tub. "How do you know so much about this sort of thing, anyway?"

"My parents liked exploring the local Chinatown markets, and often took me and my brother with them, so I'm used to it," she explained as they walked by large tanks full of live fish. "I've also got several Asian friends back home, and they take me sometimes to look at things in Asian grocery stores around town. But the stores are more like the typical American groceries, all neat and tidy. I think the street markets are more authentic, and unlike the large stores, you can usually bargain the shopkeeper down a little."

Steve couldn't help himself; he was impressed. "I didn't know you knew so much about other cultures," he said, watching as she bent to look into an aquarium with eels swimming in it.

Adena shrugged. "It's sort of to be expected these days," she said, leading him past a store with bushels of vegetables in front of it. "With so many different peoples and cultures in the country, everyone has to have at least a _little_ bit of knowledge about them, so that you don't go around offending someone."

She paused to think about something, then continued. "It also helps to know the different cultures in your region, too, so that you know what _not_ to say or do. It never feels good, knowing that you've accidentally insulted someone's way of life."

Steve thought about it, and realized she was right. Things had been so different back in his time –he hadn't really encountered many cultures, even if he had been living in New York and Brooklyn, which were usually the first stop for most immigrants. Back then, he'd been busy trying to make a living, which wasn't easy when he'd been smaller and weaker than most men. When war had come, he had been busy trying to enlist in the army, traveling to cities all over the nation, hoping to convince recruiters to accept his application. Then Doctor Erskine had found him.

As Captain America and a soldier, Steve had found himself head of a group that included a few men of different ethnic backgrounds, but all of them had been American citizens and his subordinates –as such, the men hadn't shared much of their lives, especially since they'd been too busy fighting and planning out their next attacks on Red Skull's weapons bases.

In a time of peace, and a century where so many different peoples and cultures mixed together so casually, it was a good idea to be at least vaguely familiar with them. Steve silently hoped that Adena would be able to help him with that, at least a little.

Through the rest of their journey through Chinatown, Steve listened as Adena told him about her Asian friends, and how they'd introduced her to other cuisines and cultures. She didn't know too much, but it was still more than Steve knew now.

Their final stop was a little gift shop that sold all sorts of Chinese knickknacks, some of which Steve found interesting. The store was scented with something heavy, but pleasant, though it felt like he was swimming through the scent to get further into the store.

Eyes darting everywhere, he followed Adena down the aisles, and stopped behind her when she came to the chopsticks. He still had no idea how such simple objects could be so complicated to him –they were only sticks, after all! How could a pair of sticks get the best of Captain America?

Looking around the shop, Steve took in all of the exotic items that littered the shelves and walls as Adena selected the chopsticks. He found himself interested in the many wood and stone carvings, most of which were in the shapes of animals, dragons, and a rather jolly-looking bald man with a large stomach. Some of them were fairly basic, but others had incredible detail to them, and all of them were well polished.

"What do you think of these?" Adena asked, getting his attention.

Turning, Steve saw that she held six pairs of chopsticks, each of them different. Three of them were plain: one set was pale wood, another a dark brown, and the third a deep red wood. The other three pairs were pale wood, and each pair had a different type of flower carved into them. Steve immediately guessed that the flowered pairs were Adena's, and the plain ones were for him.

"They look nice," he replied, complimenting her choices.

"Thanks," she cheerfully said, smiling. "Oh, were you looking at the carvings? Did you find anything you liked, or something interesting?"

He must have had a dozen questions flow through his head, but he doubted that she wanted to stand in the middle of the store and answer them for him. Then again, how was he supposed to learn anything if he didn't ask questions?

"They seem to like dragons," Steve commented, looking at the numerous sizes that particular image came in.

Adena nodded. "Dragons are considered good luck," she explained.

As they checked out of the store, she told him about the Chinese zodiac and the animals on it. Steve found it interesting, and told her that he would like to know more about it. She seemed to brighten up at the idea, and decided right then and there that they would go to the library after an afternoon rest.

"We'll spend the day reading and learning while we're there," she cheerfully stated. "We'll also see if we can find you something to read for fun."

He couldn't help but be thrilled with the idea of finding books he could read, just for the sake of reading. It had been ages since he'd been to the library, and he couldn't help but wonder at the amount of books that had been written since he'd gone under.

* * *

After a quick trip back to the apartment, where we dropped off our leftovers and took a short nap, Cap and I headed out for our long-awaited trip to the New York Public Library.

As soon as we stepped inside, I felt my eyes glaze over. It was like stepping into my version of heaven, and when I looked over at Cap, I could see that he felt the same way.

The place was spectacular. It was almost like a palace dedicated to housing books, with artwork on the walls and ceiling, and gilded trim everywhere. All sort of different kinds of marble ran along the floor and in columns all along the walls and stairwells –marble also trimmed the arches set above the doors and framed the beautiful paintings inside of those arches. Expensive-looking wood made up the check-out desks, and the panels along the walls.

From the ceilings hung large chandeliers or hanging lights with softly glowing bulbs that provided just the perfect amount of light for patrons: not too bright, but not too dim, either. The warm, butter yellow glow of the lights didn't hurt the eyes, and wouldn't reflect off of the stark white paper of the pages. It completely took my breath away.

Somehow, we managed to break off staring and find a desk with a librarian behind it. She smiled at our stunned looks and gave us sympathetic smiles. "First time here?" she asked with good humor. "You get used to it, after a while."

I seriously doubted that, but pretended to agree with her. "We need directions to history and fiction," I said with a smile.

Beside me, I felt Cap perk up with excitement.

* * *

Several hours later, we were back at the apartment, the coffee table loaded with books we'd brought home. Mostly, these were for educational purposes, such as history, music and pop culture, and some had to do with art and literature. Cap was excited about the literature part –apparently he was an avid reader, and could quickly plow his way through a book, and remember what he'd read.

However, I'd made sure that Cap and I each got a pile of personal reading choices, all of which were now stacked in our own respected rooms.

By the time we'd settled and sorted all of the texts into stacks on the table according to topic and the decades we were studying, it was dinnertime. We were too tired to cook, but luckily, we had our Chinese leftovers to fall back on.

To give us both a night off, I told Cap to go ahead and go read whatever he wanted, and that I would do the same. He agreed, and we both headed off to our rooms for some quiet reading time.

And of course, just as I was getting to the good part in one of my books, my phone rang.

"Miss, a call from Miss Potts," JT announced, causing me to sigh.

Picking up my phone, I answered it. "Hello?"

"Hi, Adena!" Pepper greeted me, her cheerful tone making me smile. "I was thinking that we haven't had much time together, so would you would like to come over for dinner tomorrow?"

I perked up at the thought of spending more time with Pepper. "Sure! Dinner tomorrow sounds great!"

"Wonderful!" I could almost hear Pepper smiling through the phone. "How about six o'clock? That way, if we run long, you can still be home at a decent time."

That was when an afterthought hit me. "What about Cap?" I asked, feeling worried. He and I hadn't spent much time apart since the invasion, and I didn't want him to be lonely.

"Oh, he and Tony can hang out together," Pepper said cheerfully. "Tony needs to spend time doing something other than plan the Tower's rebuilding, or just tinkering with his suits. It'll be good for them both."

True enough. "I'll tell Cap, and we'll be there at six," I told her.

After our farewells, I hung up and decided to wait until tomorrow to tell Cap the good news.

* * *

Steve knew that Adena had something to tell him as they sat down to breakfast –he could see it on her face.

"Cap?" she said, before digging into her toast and jam. "Pepper Potts called me last night. She wanted to know if we wanted to go have dinner with her and Tony again."

He felt himself relax –for a minute, he'd thought she had bad news for him! "That sounds fine," Steve replied, pouring himself a glass of juice. "When?"

"Tonight at six," Adena told him, visibly relaxing as she spread jam on her toast. "We can finish early, rest and clean up, then head over to Stark Tower. What do you think?"

Steve honestly thought it was perfect. He had been trying to think of a way to thank Adena for everything she'd done for him, and now there was the opportunity to ask Miss Potts for help!

"I'm glad you're open to doing this, Cap," she said, breaking into his thoughts. "Pepper thought it might be a good thing for you and Tony to hang out a bit, so that you both can get some human interaction. Tony's been busy fixing up the Tower and working on his Iron Man suit, and I think you need some more time with people other than me."

She took a sip of her milk. "Hopefully Bruce will be there. Pepper didn't mention it, but it might happen."

Steve, meanwhile, tried to hide his disappointment. He really didn't want to 'hang out' with Tony Stark anymore than he had to, but if he managed to get some time with Pepper Potts to get her help, it might be worth it.

And as much as Steve hated to admit it, Tony was a good man. Oh, he was arrogant, and spoiled from being born rich, but still, he was a good person. Steve didn't know how he felt about spending time with the other man yet, but maybe, in time, they could become friends –or at least acquaintances.

As he ate his breakfast, Steve tried not to groan aloud as Adena chattered on about teaching him how to use chopsticks today, and that they were going to use them to eat lunch. It was one lesson he was _not_ looking forward to!

* * *

AN: Review?


	7. Much Needed Advice

Disclaimer: Sadly, I own nothing related to Marvel, either the comics, movies, TV shows, etc. All of that belongs to the Disney Corporation (though I might try kidnapping Captain America and Hawkeye some day, just for fun).

AN: Here's the next chapter! Enjoy, and please don't forget to review!

**Chapter 7: Much Needed Advice:**

After spending an hour teaching Cap how to use chopsticks, and making moderate progress, we got down to business.

With stacks of history books available, and Cap more than eager to read through them, I let him have a few hours to do just that, while I went to check my e-mail messages on the laptop. Cap decided to stretch out on the couch, with his back facing the windows, so that he had plenty of light to read by. I took the desk by the window, so that I could be close by, in case Cap had any questions.

Logging into my e-mail account, I decided it was time to send a bit of a 'progress report' to my folks…with a few changes, of course.

As I started typing out the latest fictional recount of my job, I felt a pair of eyes watching me. Turning, I spotted Cap giving me a thoughtful look. "What's wrong?" I asked, wondering if he had something on his mind.

"You never did show me how to use that," he declared, blue eyes darting towards the laptop.

That was true enough. Of course, there was a reason for that: Cap just wasn't ready for modern technology yet. The most I'd gotten him to accept so far was television, and even then, the only channels he liked were the ones about history, travel, and anything educational. He especially liked public broadcasting, because he felt they had more substance than regular television stations.

Computers, however, were a whole other matter. I had shown him a few things, like surfing a few select web pages on the tablet, but he said staring at the screen hurt his eyes, and had limited his time looking at the screen. In fact, the only times Cap was ever on the tablet was whenever I was showing him something he needed to see or read, because it was important.

Opening a laptop to him was like handing him Pandora's Box: Cap could find a whole new world at his fingertips, a lot of which he wasn't yet (and probably would never be) ready for. There was a lot out on the Internet, most of which he wouldn't be able to understand for a good while.

Plus, Cap's mind, heart, and soul were still set in the 1940's, where morals were still taught and firmly believed in. Society was a lot looser now, and I didn't think he'd be able to handle the things that were out there, online.

'_I suppose I could set him up with an e-mail address, but who would e-mail him_?' I thought to myself. '_Cap doesn't have many friends or contacts, outside the Avengers and SHIELD. Even if they wanted to get in contact with him, they'd call, or, in the case of SHIELD, they'd send an agent over_.'

Actually, they might just ring me first, since I was the one with JT at my beck-and-call! We had a phone in the apartment, but it'd never been used; nobody called us on the land-line, because I had a cell with me, and Cap almost never left my side, so it was the fastest way to reach either one of us.

Chewing my bottom lip, I tried to figure out what to do. I could teach him about technology, or at least a small percentage of it, and then let him decide whether or not he wanted anything to do with it. The Amish knew about modern conveniences, but still lived outside of today's modern world just fine. Could Cap do the same thing? It was a pretty complicated situation, but I would have to let Cap decide what to do, because it was his call to make. He'd know what was best for himself.

"Okay," I said, sitting back from the desk a little bit. "Let's start with the basics, okay? We'll start with e-mail."

* * *

Almost immediately, Steve knew that he did not like electronic mail, or e-mail, as Adena called it.

This new way of sending letters was so cold and impersonal that he felt it would be something he wouldn't use. Not that he had anyone to send letters to, but even if he did, Steve would have preferred using the old-fashioned way. In addition to that, Adena also tried explaining text messaging, but that felt just as impersonal, and he said so.

To his surprise, Adena actually agreed with him. "I don't like text messaging, either," she said, looking at JT, which sat beside the laptop on the desk, "Mostly because people can do it anywhere, anytime, which causes some seriously dangerous situations. People text while walking, jogging, crossing the street, even driving their car!"

She smiled at him, as though she knew that he was worried she might try something like that. "Don't worry. If I do text, it's only when I'm sitting down somewhere, because I know that whatever it is can wait until then. If something's important, people can call me –end of story."

Well, that was a relief. In all the time he'd known her, Adena had never done any text messaging; she didn't even answer her phone unless she had to. Steve couldn't help but smile at how much common sense she had; it was one of several traits he admired and liked about her.

"I guess that's the end of today's tech lesson," she said, nodding towards the couch. "I'm going to finish writing to my folks back home. You can go ahead and read for another hour or two; then we'll have to get ready for dinner with Tony and Pepper, okay?"

Steve wanted to get back to his book, but he did have a question before he did that. "Adena, which ethnic food will we be moving on to next?" After his encounter with Chinatown, he wasn't sure he was ready for another lesson so soon.

She appeared to think about it. "I was hoping to expose you to Japanese either tomorrow or the day after," she admitted. "I promise to keep it limited to stuff you'd at least recognize and eat. They do eat with chopsticks, but you'll be able to use a fork, if you want. I'll explain their food tomorrow, and then we can have Japanese for dinner."

Steve wasn't sure he was looking forward to that, but said nothing. So far, he'd enjoyed Italian food, and for all that he'd been thrown for a loop in Chinatown, Chinese wasn't so bad, as long as the dishes in front of him contained things he recognized.

Japanese was something he wasn't so sure of. Before he'd gone under, the US had been at war with Japan, and anti-Japanese sentiments were being felt across the nation. Steve had never felt that way; he knew that the local Japanese weren't part of the attack on Pearl Harbor, and that most Americans had been looking for someone to blame for those killed in Hawaii.

Still, he'd never really experienced any of their culture, and like the others Adena was showing to him, it was something he was unfamiliar with. But with countries all over the world now interacting closely with one another, Steve was willing to learn at least a little about each of them. And who knows, he might like their food, too.

Sighing, Steve nodded. "Alright, we can try Japanese tomorrow night," he gave in.

She smiled widely at him. "Thanks, Cap; I really appreciate this. Japanese is one of my favorite foods, and I hope I can convert you to it, too."

He didn't think so, but with the way Adena was smiling at him, Steve was willing to do it, to keep her happy.

* * *

The car ride to Tony's was quiet, but Steve's mind was racing the entire way.

First and foremost in his thoughts was that, once again, Adena was wearing perfume; a light scent with a touch of fruit and flowers that wasn't overpowering, and smelled rather pretty. It still hurt his feelings, that she would wear perfume for dinner at Tony's, but not when she was with _him_.

Secondly, Steve was frantically trying to think of a way to get Pepper away from Adena's side, so that he could have a private word with her. It wasn't going to be easy, not after what he'd seen last time they dined together: she and Adena had looked quite happy to sit and talk for hours, and Steve felt it would take _a lot_ of hinting and persuading to pull Pepper away.

Up the elevator they went, and to Steve's surprise, Bruce Banner was there, talking to Tony in one corner while Agent Phil Coulson sat talking with Pepper Potts. All four turned to look as Steve and Adena disembarked from the elevator.

Looking at what the other men were wearing, Steve was glad that Adena had chosen his outfit for tonight –his blue dress shirt and black slacks suited the occasion, as did the plain black leather jacket. Tony wore all black, while Dr. Banner had on grey pants, a pale green shirt, and a grey suit jacket. Agent Coulson wore, as usual, a black suit, but no tie, and the collar of his shirt was open a bit, giving him a casual look that Steve had never seen on him before.

"Phil!" Adena cried, running to the agent to give him a hug. "I'm so glad to see you! It's been forever!" She grinned up at the man's smiling face. "Seriously; you don't call, you don't write, and you don't visit often enough. Director Fury really needs to give you some vacation time."

To Steve's surprise, Phil actually chuckled. "I won't argue with that last one. I really could use a vacation, but I don't think that'll be for a while. I'm one of the Director's primary agents, and I go wherever he needs me to go. I'm lucky that I've got a two-day layover here in New York and could make it tonight."

Adena waved his words aside. "Important agent or not, everyone needs time off. Even _I_ give Cap some time to himself, once in a while."

Steve grinned. "When she isn't cracking me over the head with all the new things she's teaching me, that is," he joked, earning a playful glare from Adena.

"I'm not that bad," she insisted as he and Phil laughed. "I at least try to make things fun and interesting."

"True enough," Steve admitted. "And she is a good teacher, as well as good company."

Something inside him warmed as Adena blushed and gave him the shyest, but happiest, smile he'd ever seen. "Thanks, Cap," she said, clearly flattered and embarrassed at his praise.

At that moment, Pepper Potts came over to greet her two new guests. "I'm glad you could make it, Adena," she said, giving her friend a hug and kiss on the cheek.

"Yeah, it makes for an even six around the table," Tony chimed in as he raised a glass at them.

Pepper rolled her eyes. "Actually, I was going to say that it's nice having another girl around to chat with," she said. "And yes, it is nice to have all the places at the table filled."

Sure enough, a dinner table had been set up where there hadn't been one last time, and there were six places elegantly set up. That clearly signaled that this was going to be a more formal dinner occasion.

Steve swallowed nervously. He'd never been to an actual dinner party before, and his last evening here had been relaxed and casual –he didn't know how to behave at something like this.

Adena must have sensed what he was thinking, because she quickly walked up beside him and put a hand on his arm. "It'll be fine," she quietly insisted, so the others couldn't hear. "You're among friends, and I doubt Pepper is going to insist on us being formal and using twenty different types of forks and spoons."

Steve stared at her in panic. "There are twenty different kinds of forks?" he asked, wondering if she was joking or not.

She actually nodded. "I think so. I know there are a salad fork; a fish fork; a fondue fork; and a fork for eating shellfish. There are a lot more of them, but I don't know what they're all for, so you won't be the only one who's lost if we were to sit down to dinner with the Queen of England."

He laughed and let himself relax as Pepper took his jacket. Adena hadn't worn one tonight; instead, she'd worn a black sweater with a modest V-neck, black slacks, and black shoes that she called 'ballet flats,' which he admitted looked rather flattering on her.

As Pepper led Adena away to the bar to get something to drink, Steve found himself alone with Agent Coulson. That's when he decided to take a page from Adena's book, and relax a little around others, namely by trying to think of everyone by their first name, as friends usually do with each other. It was a little hard for him, as Steve had never really had many friends, but with this group, perhaps that could change.

"So, how did you get invited tonight, if you're so busy?" he asked Phil, while shifting a bit uncomfortably from one foot to the other.

Phil smiled. "I came to say hello to Miss Potts, and found myself on the guest list. She was insistent, and since I can't turn down what promises to be a fabulous meal, I decided to come." He paused. "I also wanted to see how Adena was doing, after the whole Loki incident. I didn't get a chance to talk to her much, the last time I saw her."

Steve did not like remembering her being kidnapped, but put aside his feelings to reassure Phil. "She's fine. She was really lucky to be unconscious for the whole thing, though she did admit to Loki projecting visions of some kind into her brain while she was unconscious."

"Visions?" Phil asked, looking concerned. "What kind of visions?"

"She didn't say," Steve admitted. "So far, they don't seem to have had any sort of influence on her –she hadn't had any nightmares, at least as far as I can tell. It's as if she's decided that they were just ways for Loki trying to scare her into submission, and since they failed to do so, they aren't worth thinking about."

Phil relaxed a little. "Well, at least she's alright. I don't think Director Fury would be happy to know that Adena was suffering psychologically and emotionally from what happened. He feels guilty enough that Loki got hold of her at all, and he gave me a _very_ nasty lecture about taking an unarmed woman into danger."

The agent actually smiled up at him. "And I know that you sort of hold that against me, too, Captain. But Adena wanted to be helpful and useful, and she was all that was available at the time. That was enough to convince me to take her along."

Steve was spared from answering by Pepper calling everyone to the table, where several large silver domes covered dishes in the middle of the table. Each place had a name card on it, and Steve took his seat, between Pepper Potts and Dr. Banner, with Tony at the head. To Tony's right was Phil Coulson, and then Adena.

Once everyone was seated, Steve took his cues from Adena, putting his black-and-gold cloth napkin on his lap when she did, and waiting for the dishes to be uncovered by Pepper and Tony before helping himself. There were four dishes total, and each looked and smelled wonderful. The first one had slices of beef in what smelled like a wine sauce. Second were chicken breasts in lemon sauce, over long thin pasta. The third dish had small roasted potatoes in butter. Fourth was a platter of large shrimp, hot and in a sauce of butter and garlic. To drink, there was water and sparkling wine, as well as sparkling cider, which all went well with the food.

Everyone eagerly helped themselves, and began to eat and talk. Tony and Dr. Banner threw jokes and science-talk back and forth, while Adena made conversation with Phil and Pepper Potts. To Steve's relief, Bruce and Pepper made efforts to talk to him, and the talk was pleasant, not forced at all. Soon, chatter and jokes were flying across the table, with Steve included, and the atmosphere grew friendly and fun.

After the food was consumed, Steve was disappointed when Pepper took Adena off to another room right away, leaving the men to sit and talk amongst themselves. Steve found himself on a comfortable black leather couch with Bruce Banner on one side, and Tony and Phil on the other. Shifting a little in his seat, Steve wondered when it would be alright for him to interrupt the women and get Pepper alone.

"Don't worry about Adena," Tony said, breaking into Steve's thoughts. "Pepper will take good care of her, remember? She likes her, and she'll make sure you get her back in one piece."

"It's not that," Steve hastily said. "I just want to ask Miss Potts about something."

The other men looked intrigued, but as was expected, Tony was the one who spoke first. "About what? Maybe it's something I can help with."

Steve hadn't really considered Tony for his problem, but if there was no chance of getting Miss Potts alone, then perhaps he should. "Alright," he grudgingly gave in. "I wanted her help in finding a gift for Adena."

The other men perked up. "Do you mean a birthday gift?" Bruce asked. "Is it her birthday?"

For a minute, Steve mentally slapped himself. He hadn't considered a birthday gift, because he didn't know when hers _was_. But that was a thought for another time. "No, I just want to give her a token of my appreciation," he said. "You know, to thank her for everything she's done for me."

He was relieved when, instead of making fun of him, the others merely nodded in understanding. "Good idea," Phil complimented him. "What did you have in mind?"

That made Steve flush a little. "I have no idea," he admitted. "That's what I wanted to talk to Miss Potts about."

For a while, they sat there, pondering. Finally, Tony snapped his fingers, a grin on his face that clearly said he had an idea.

"Jewelry," he said. "No, don't look at me like that, Rogers. Women love jewelry, and they love getting it."

Bruce grinned. "He's right. Get her something pretty, but meaningful. It should also be something she can wear every day, not just on special occasions."

Well, it sounded like a good idea, but for the life of him, Steve couldn't imagine what he could buy her. He had no experience with buying jewelry for women, and he desperately wanted to avoid traveling to every single jewelry shop in the city, especially since he wanted to keep this a secret and taking random trips out into the city would _definitely_ rouse Adena's suspicions. So he didn't want Adena to find out, and having her pick something wasn't what he had in mind, not when Steve wanted to be the one to give her something significant.

Tony snapped his fingers again, getting Steve's attention. "Why don't I give you the number of my personal jeweler?" he said. "Or better yet, let me know what kind of piece you want made for her, and I'll get my guy on it, ASAP. It might take a while, depending on what you want made, since quality workmanship takes time. But even if it takes ages, at least you'll know it's the best."

Steve sat up, an idea brewing in his head. "I actually have something in mind already," he admitted. "If you think your jeweler can get it done, and do it well, I'd appreciate it. And I can pay for it, too, with money provided by SHIELD."

Tony simply rolled his eyes. "Please, Rogers. Do you honestly think I'd let you pay for such an expensive thing, especially when my guy charges a fortune for his work? You give me the design or idea that you want crafted, and I'll take care of it."

He waved aside Steve's protests. "Trust me, if Pepper found out that I was letting you pay for the gift yourself, she'd throw me off the top of this building. I'll cover the bill, no worries. Now, tell me what you've got in mind, or draw it, and I'll take care of it all."

A pad of paper and pencil somehow found its way to Steve's hands, and he spent the next fifteen minutes drawing what he wanted done. A written description of the item was added at the bottom of the page, for clarity, and once he was finished, Steve presented his work to his friends.

The other three looked a little skeptical, but as Steve explained the design and why he'd chosen it, the skepticism faded to understanding. Soon, Tony, Bruce, and Phil were all in agreement with his choice.

"I like it," Bruce said. "And I know she'll love it."

Phil nodded. "But now that we've got taken care of, I was wondering if Captain Rogers could do me a small favor." He reached into his pocket. "I distinctly remember asking for you to sign these, but the opportunity never came up."

Steve laughed as a stack of trading cards landed on the table. Next to him, Tony joined in the laughter as a chuckling Bruce Banner produced a pen from his jacket pocket.

* * *

AN: Review?


	8. Friends, and Cultural Experiments

Disclaimer: Sadly, I own nothing related to Marvel, either the comics, movies, TV shows, etc. All of that belongs to the Disney Corporation (though I might try kidnapping Captain America and Hawkeye some day, just for fun).

AN: For the most part, this chapter is from Steve Rogers's point of view. It may be Adena's story, but I figured Cap was overdue for some attention! So please enjoy the chapter, and please don't forget to review! Thanks!

**Chapter 8: Friends, and Cultural Experiments:**

After signing Phil's trading cards, Steve allowed himself time to relax and have fun while waiting for the women to return.

During their after dinner conversations, Bruce brought up the topic that Tony had offered him numerous laboratories to work in, but so far, Bruce had refused all of them, except for the one here in Stark Tower.

"He's got labs on the West Coast, in the Mid-West, and even in the Rocky Mountains," Bruce told them. "Tony generously offered each and every one of them to me to work in, with practically endless resources at my disposal."

Tony rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "He mentions the Rocky Mountains because of what might happen if he lost his temper while in the lab," he said. "We're keeping that one open as an option. The way I figured, if Bruce ends up working there and loses his temper, he can go knock down trees and crush mountain ranges until he calms down."

Steve knew it was meant as a joke, but they all knew that if Bruce were to get upset, it really would be a bad thing. Still, Bruce was smiling and shaking his head at Tony's antics, so Steve let himself accept it as the joke it was.

"Tony offered it to me as a sort of 'escape' or vacation spot, if I needed it," Bruce said, reclining back a little on the couch. "I told him I'd keep it in mind. If I ever needed a time and place to clear my head, I'll take him up on it."

Phil nodded his agreement. "Well, it's always a good thing to have a backup plan," he commented with a smile.

Everyone laughed at that, and asked Phil how things were going in regards to SHIELD business. Of course, Phil couldn't say much about it, since it was all a secret, but he did say that they had managed to find and capture most of the allies Loki had accumulated in his quest to conquer Earth.

"Most of them have been apprehended, but there are probably a dozen or so more that have escaped us so far," he admitted. "We're interrogating those we have, to see if we can narrow down who the others are, but they're being resistant. We've even questioned Dr. Selvig and Agent Barton, but most of the time they were doing their own tasks and didn't stay around long enough to know who was there, and what they were doing."

Phil sighed tiredly. "It's possible we might never know exactly how many Loki converted to his cause, or who they are."

Steve couldn't help but be worried about that. He didn't doubt that SHIELD was doing everything possible to find and capture Loki's former allies, but the thought of these dangerous people still being free was troubling. And if SHIELD couldn't find them, then Steve doubted that anyone else would.

"I'm thinking that you'll get the job done," Tony commented, taking a drink of scotch. "You're a top-secret government agency with huge resources at your fingertips!"

The others, including Steve, rolled their eyes as Phil replied, "Thanks, but even we have trouble finding people sometimes. We're not the only super-secret spy agency in the world, you know."

Tony snapped his fingers and pointed in Phil's direction. "You see, I knew it! I _knew_ there were other networks out there!"

Phil laughed. "What I _meant_ is that there are other agencies, ones that work for the bad guys. Some have got the same resources we do, or know how to get in our way. That's what makes it so difficult to find the ones we're looking for."

The rest of them could see his point, and nodded their understanding. "Well, we have faith that you'll get the job done," Steve told him.

"Get what job done?" asked a female voice, surprising them and causing them to turn. There stood Adena, a puzzled look on her face as she and Pepper came to join in.

Steve didn't want her to know about it, so that she wouldn't worry, but unfortunately, Tony decided to be annoyingly straight-forward about the whole thing.

"Phil was talking to us about the new 'friends' that Loki made while he was here, wielding that glow stick of his," the billionaire told them.

Just as Steve predicted, Adena immediately looked worried. "So there are bad guys under hypnosis walking around out there?" she slowly asked, as though she were trying to get the facts right.

"Pretty much," Tony confirmed.

"Well, not all of them were under hypnosis," Phil corrected. "A few of those we captured weren't under his spell, so we figure some of those running around aren't under hypnotic influence. We think those who went willingly, without hypnosis, to help Loki were in it for power and money."

Adena sighed. "I'm not sure if that makes me feel better or worse," she muttered. "The idea of such dangerous people out there wanting to take over the world isn't very comforting."

Phil gave her a smile. "Trust me, there are always people who want to take over the world," he sarcastically remarked. "Some want to do it themselves, but most are willing to wait for someone who can actually succeed in doing it, then get in behind them, hoping to be tossed a bit of power that they can use over hundreds or thousands of innocents. They all want power, no matter how they get it."

"Are any of them going to come after us?" Steve asked, suddenly worried for Adena's safety. The last thing he wanted was a group of power-hungry maniacs getting at him through hurting her.

To his surprise, Phil seemed to shrug the matter off. "There is a possibility of that happening," he half-heartedly cautioned them. "I doubt they'll get to Tony, since he's got enough security guards at his disposal to start his own army. Thor is obviously out of the question, since he's from another world. Agents Romanoff and Barton are used to dealing with people coming after them, so I'm not worried about their safety."

"But you're worried about the rest of us," Bruce said, looking a bit uneasy.

Phil looked amused. "Not you, Dr. Banner. You're more than capable of dealing with threats against you, as is the Captain." He looked over at Adena. "And I'm sure _you'll_be fine. You were mostly a personal matter to Loki; the men we questioned didn't really care who you were, since you weren't really key to getting the world into Loki's grip, like the scepter and the Tesseract itself."

He held up a hand to halt Steve's protests. "None of enemy got a good look at you, Adena, since Loki kept you mostly out of sight from them. So, they don't know who you are, what you look like, and they don't know who Captain Rogers is, so you're safe. You also live in an apartment building that is under the protection and observation of one of the world's top spy agencies. There's no way anyone can get in without being seen by us, or setting off our security systems."

"And as long as you're with me, I'll keep you safe," Steve swore, looking right into Adena's eyes. "They won't get to you unless it's through me."

He could see she was touched by his words. "Thanks, Cap," she said. The affectionate smile she gave warmed him from the inside. "I really appreciate that."

"So for all intents and purposes, we're okay –at least for now," Tony commented with a smirk. "Good. Now, it's getting a bit late, and I don't doubt that Pepper has a dozen meetings set up for me tomorrow. Am I right?"

That last part was directed at his girlfriend, who returned his smirk with a mocking smile of her own. "Not that you'll be on time to any of them anyway," she retorted. "But you still need to get some rest. You have to be up early for a call with Hong Kong in the morning."

That was their cue to leave. Steve watched Adena hug everyone, though she and Pepper pressed kisses to each other's cheeks before hugging. He was relieved when Tony, Bruce and Phil merely got affectionate hugs and numerous promises to meet up again soon.

Steve, meanwhile, exchanged handshakes with everyone, led Adena to the elevator, and then escorted her out to the car that awaited them. Inside, he was all excitement over the gift he planned to give her in the near future –until he got into bed an hour later.

Lying there on his back, Steve suddenly realized that he had no idea when or how Tony was going to contact him about his gift being ready. He really wanted it to be a surprise, but Adena was the only one with a real phone in her possession –there _was_ a phone in the apartment, but it had never been used, because Adena took nearly all their calls on her cell phone. She would think it suspicious if the apartment phone suddenly started being used, and if Tony called her on JT, then she would know something was happening, and it would ruin the surprise.

Taking a deep breath, Steve had to remember that Tony wasn't an idiot (or at least, he wasn't a _complete_ idiot), so if he did call, he'd probably concoct some kind of story or another to slip by Adena…or so he hoped.

* * *

Two days passed, and Steve had been forced to make himself relax during that entire time –a very difficult task when a person is eagerly waiting for something.

But somehow, he got through it, with Adena unknowingly helping him.

During those two days, she had taken him out for Japanese food, and shown him a bit of their culture by taking him to an Asian grocery store. The grocery store was easy; the hard part was the trying the food.

The day after dinner at Stark Tower, Adena had taken him to a nice Japanese restaurant not far from the apartment. They had been promptly seated in a corner booth, served ice water, and handed numerous menus to look through, along with a pen. One of the menus looked like the pad of paper a server would use to take their order, and Steve immediately wondered if perhaps their waitress had forgotten it.

"You use it to indicate what you want," Adena explained as he reached to pick up the paper. "You mark how many orders of what you want, and the men behind the sushi bar make it for you. When you're done, the server writes down what you owe, and you pay for it."

He followed her gaze to what looked like a bar, only there were four men standing there, with odd hats on their heads. Only one of them looked Asian; the others were of mixed backgrounds, and Steve marveled at how these men could become masters of Japanese cuisine.

"You never did explain Japanese food very much," Steve said, looking at the paper in his hand.

She gave him a slightly uncomfortable smile. "I was afraid you'd run away screaming if I told you what it was. It's somewhat like Chinese, with rice and noodles featured in their diet, but the other part of it is sushi…which is either cooked or raw fish."

Steve hadn't been sure he'd heard right. "Raw fish?" he asked, staring at her in disbelief. Steve was a firm believer that fish should be cooked –he did _not_ like the idea of eating it raw. And the Japanese liked eating their fish raw. Even worse, eating involved chopsticks, his least favorite eating tools.

"Well, some of it is raw," she said.

Adena then proceeded to fill him in on what he was about to experience, from the rice and noodles, to sushi and sashimi. Steve immediately told her that he would not, under any circumstances, touch raw fish –even he had his limits when it came to trying new foods! She agreed, and proceeded to order almost a dozen different dishes for the two of them to share.

So far, Steve wasn't sure he was a fan of Japanese food yet. He did like the noodle soup that she'd ordered for him, and the fried shrimp, which was crunchy and tasty. He refused the seaweed salad that Adena had ordered, and watched her happily gobble it up in his place. The 'California Roll' was good, as were several of the sushi that had cooked ingredients, but it was still an ethnic food that Steve was unsure about.

To his surprise, Adena seemed to understand this. He had thought that she'd be angry with him, after he'd been so accepting of other ethnic foods, but she didn't even look the least bit annoyed when he told her that he did not want to be trying it again anytime soon.

"My brother doesn't like Japanese food, either," she explained as they rode back to the apartment for his history lesson. "He likes the cooked shrimp okay, but the rest of it isn't appealing to him. It's difficult, when he comes to visit, because I love it and sometimes crave it, but he won't go to the restaurant with me. I usually have to give in and agree to go elsewhere for dinner, to keep him happy, because I know he'd be miserable in a Japanese restaurant."

That made Steve feel a little better –however, he promised her that, if she really wanted sushi, he would go with her, but probably wouldn't eat much. She agreed, and said that he could order all the noodles he wanted instead. They both laughed at that.

The day afterwards, Adena took him to a large Asian grocery store, to show him the many different kinds of foods and products enjoyed by the Asian community. It was an experience that left his head spinning.

Steve had had a rather hard time looking at all of the fresh produce on display, as well as all of the different and strange sodas, fish, candy, and meats. After about half an hour, Adena decided to take him to another area of the store, one that sold furniture and household items, instead of food.

Here, he was able to relax and let her point out rice cookers, cooking utensils, and other things that had been shown to her by the Asian friends she'd left behind in her hometown. She had found their lessons fascinating, but Steve wasn't as enthusiastic –at least, not yet. He might be more open to this sort of culture in the future, but right now, he found it all strange and out of his grasp.

But to humor Adena, he listened, and did his best to remember what she told him.

The next morning, three days after dinner with their friends, JT announced that Tony Stark was on the line –and that he wanted to talk to Steve.

* * *

At first, Steve wanted to strangle Tony for calling him up on JT, but he was willing to forgive him, if the news was good.

"Hi, Rogers," Tony greeted him over the device. "Bruce and I were wondering if you wanted to pop over for a visit this afternoon, maybe throw back a few beers and hang out. There are a few new tech toys we thought you might want to look at –you know, guy stuff. Feel free to bring Adena, though, because Pepper wants to show her some outfits that just arrived from Paris."

Steve sincerely hoped the invitation was a cover story for what he was _really_ talking about: Adena's gift. But since going to Stark Tower meant he got a bit of a rest from his re-education, he decided to take him up on the offer.

Of course, Adena was delighted with Tony's call, and even more excited about Steve going to 'hang out' at the Tower. "I'm so glad you're getting along with those guys," she gushed as their car pulled away from the curb, heading for their friend's home. "You really do need other friends to talk to, Cap."

Steve didn't have the heart to tell her that it wasn't what she thought it was, but instead let her stay excited all the way to their destination. Besides, she was half-right: he _was_ starting to make friends with the others. If Tony was willing to be so helpful in getting the perfect gift for Adena, then Steve was beginning to believe that, maybe, they could actually be friends.

'_And isn't that a pleasant thought_,' he marveled as the car pulled up to Stark Tower.

* * *

AN: So, I don't know if they have giant Asian grocery stores in New York (though I'm pretty sure they would, considering their large Asian population), so please don't get upset with me.

Meanwhile, I'm sorry about the shorter chapter; it's pretty much a filler until the next one. But I hope that everyone enjoyed it, and will be kind and review. Thanks!


	9. Tokens of Gratitude

Disclaimer: Sadly, I own nothing related to Marvel, either the comics, movies, TV shows, etc. All of that belongs to the Disney Corporation (though I might try kidnapping Captain America and Hawkeye some day, just for fun).

AN: Cuteness in this chapter, as well as the answer to what Steve will give to Adena! Enjoy, and please don't forget to review!

**Chapter 9: Tokens of Gratitude, and Signs of Affection:**

Reaching Tony's apartments, Steve and Adena were both greeted by their friends. Pepper immediately took Adena off to her private rooms a few levels below, while Tony motioned Steve to follow him.

Instead of going to the labs, Tony instead took him to, of all places, a basement below the Tower. "This is my personal lab," Tony explained as they stepped off the elevator. "I make, repair, and power up my suits here."

It was also well-protected against intrusion, and in case anything should go wrong with Tony's experiments, the walls were reinforced to contain any minor explosions that might occur –which, according to Tony, was rare.

"Best of all, not a lot of people get access to this room without my permission," Tony assured him as he shut the door behind them. "And with Pepper busy with Adena, I think we've got a huge cushion of time before they both come knocking."

Steve looked around. "Is Doctor Banner here?" he wondered aloud.

"Nope, Bruce is tucked away in another lab upstairs, working on that battery project," Tony replied, going to a table and producing a long white leather box. "Here's what you asked for."

Taking it in his hand, Steve opened the box and examined the contents. He had to smile when he saw it –it was beautiful, and perfectly crafted. He had no doubts that Adena would love it.

"Thanks, Tony," Steve said, closing the box. "It means a lot to me, that you were able to help like this." As an afterthought, he added, "And I'm sure Adena will thank you, too, after I give this to her."

"That's what I'm counting on," Tony jokingly replied. "I like being on her good side; according to Phil, she can be pretty intimidating when she's angry."

Steve had to grin as he remembered Adena threatening Loki, after the Asgard had been captured. "I wouldn't know," he answered with a smirk. "I haven't seen her angry, yet –or at least, not at _me_."

Tony rolled his eyes. "Well, all the same, be sure to give that to her at just the right moment. That way, it'll be special, and she'll appreciate the gift even more."

A twinge of uneasiness pulled in Steve's chest. The right moment? How was he supposed to find the right moment? Would it be tonight, or tomorrow? Or after she showed him something incredibly helpful, something that would deserve a gift of gratitude?

He felt a hand clap him on the shoulder. "It'll be fine," Tony assured him. "You'll think of something. Soldiers are known for finding just the right time for action, at least when it counts, right? Since you're a soldier, you'll pull it off."

In theory, that was true –Steve could, and had, led men into battle after judging when the time was right to charge in. But when it came to fighting, he had a great deal of information that he had to look through, and once all of that was in his head and gone over thoroughly, he could finally decide a day and time to attack.

With people it was much different, especially with something this personal. He wanted to give this to Adena at the right moment, preferably when they were alone and in their apartment, without the chance of interruption. But the timing had to be right, and their days weren't always planned out ahead; it made for some chaotic days, with almost no chance of slowing down.

Taking a deep breath, Steve tried to calm himself. "I'll find the right time," he said aloud.

But whether he was trying to assure himself or Tony, he couldn't be sure.

* * *

With Adena's gift tucked inside his coat, Steve somehow managed to make it through his visit to Stark Tower without giving anything away.

After a while, he and Tony went upstairs to fetch Bruce, who happily joined them, and continued up to the apartment, which was empty. Sprawled out on couches and chairs, the three men sat and talked about nothing in particular: sports, music, etc. Well, Tony and Bruce talked about it; Steve merely sat and listened, since he wasn't caught up on modern music or sports yet.

A couple hours later, the women arrived, along with dinner that Pepper had ordered for them all. Tonight's meal was simple: spaghetti and meatballs, with a mountain of toasted, cheesy garlic bread. Everyone happily dug in, and once the pasta had been devoured, dessert was brought out.

Steve thought it was a pudding at first, but Adena hurriedly explained that it was actually a chocolate mousse, which was much better than pudding. After tasting it, he agreed with her!

Tonight, everyone agreed to head home early, mostly because tomorrow, Tony and Pepper were flying to Washington DC in order to check up on a branch of Stark Industries that had just opened there. They'd be back in a few days, and Pepper promised to bring Adena back a few souvenirs from the nation's capital.

The ride back to the apartment was filled with Adena's chatter, which Steve was willing to listen to because she was so excited and happy. Besides, it was nice to see her face light up when she talked about something besides history, music, food, and other things she was trying to teach him.

"And then Pepper showed me a dress all the way from Paris, France!" Adena was saying as Steve bit back a grin. "Though, it's not so much the dress that's awesome, it's that Pepper was in France, and since she's Tony's assistant, a lot of designers want her wearing their outfits so that people will see her in them and bring in more customers to them. They practically _give_ her outfits to wear!"

Adena continued to go on about the different clothes that Pepper showed her, as well as a box of accessories that was offered to Adena. Apparently Pepper had so many trinkets, she didn't know what to do with them except offer Adena a few to take home.

"I said no, of course," Adena said, surprising him. "I don't need designer broaches or bracelets, and even if I took them, where would I wear them to? They were pretty and everything, and I did want to take them, but it didn't feel right. Pepper's been so good to me already, I didn't want to take advantage of her and accept such expensive things, even if she did want me to have them."

As they pulled up to the front of the apartment, Steve felt his gut tell him to give her his gift this very night. It felt right, and despite what she might think, Adena _did_ deserve something pretty to wear.

But it had to be at the right moment. Hopefully, that moment would be soon.

* * *

It really had been nice of Pepper to offer me some of the jewelry sent to her from Europe, but I didn't feel right taking any of it. Not only were they too beautiful and expensive for her to give away (at least in my opinion), but she had already been so kind and welcoming to me and Cap that I didn't have the heart to take any material gifts from her. Call me crazy, but I _do_ have morals about that kind of thing!

After we'd gotten back home and I'd changed into my pajamas, I flopped myself down in the middle of the couch and put my feet up on the coffee table as I settled down with a book. Cap was in his room, probably asleep already, since he liked waking and heading to bed early, so I figured I'd have at least an hour or so to myself, to catch up with my reading.

As I dove into my book, I almost missed the sound of shuffling feet approaching. Figuring that Cap was probably getting a glass of water or something, I decided not to look up. It wasn't until he cleared his throat that I noticed he'd come to stand next to me.

Startled, I looked upwards into Cap's nervous blue eyes. "Adena?" he asked, hands awkwardly behind his back, "Would you mind if I talked to you about something?"

Since heart-to-heart talks between us were rare, I was very surprised. "Sure," I replied, marking my spot in the book and setting it aside. "Why don't you sit down?"

He immediately took a seat to my left, his hands remaining behind his back. I knew he had to be hiding something, but he wouldn't mention it until he was ready.

Sitting quietly, I waited as Cap cleared his throat, a soft blush on his cheeks as he seemed to be trying to gather his nerve. "I wanted to thank you for everything you've done for me," he said, pulling his hands from behind his back and producing a long white leather box, the kind that jewelry came in. "I'm not really good with words, but I did want you to know how much I appreciate all that you've done to help bring me back into the world."

I couldn't help but be touched; this was something I really hadn't expected from him. "Oh, Cap, you don't have to do that," I tried to reassure him.

He shook his head. "I do," he said, offering me the box. "Here; it's especially for you. I hope you like it."

I gave him an encouraging smile as I accepted the box and began to open it. "I'm sure I'll love it."

Looking inside, I gasped.

* * *

Steve knew what she would see once she'd opened the jewelry box: the locket that he'd had Tony commission for him. He'd put in some thought as to the design, and decided on something that meant a great deal to both him and to Adena.

In the center of the round locket, catching her attention, was a shining pure white crystal star set in a circle of blue metal. But looking at it a moment longer, she would notice the red rings inlaid around it, and immediately know it for what it was: it was the image of his shield.

Steve already knew that she had been an admirer of his, and had thought that having something with his insignia on it would thrill her. The stars and stripes were dear to his heart, and in a way, it was the same with her.

"Oh, Cap," she breathed, lifting the locket out and setting the box aside. "It's beautiful!"

He felt his heart leap a little with pride. "Press the star," he gently instructed her.

She obliged, and started a little as the locket opened. "Neat!" she exclaimed, beaming with joy as she looked at the empty spots inside. "Oh, I can't _wait_ to put your photo in here!"

Steve stared at her in surprise. "Mine? Why?"

Adena playfully rolled her eyes at him as she gently closed the locket. "Because you gave it to me, silly! Besides, it's _your_ symbol -it'd be weird putting anyone else's picture in here."

Holding out the chain to him, Adena gave him a pleading look. "Could you help me?" she asked, clearly eager to try it on.

Touched at her offer to put his photo in the locket, Steve reached out to take the silver chain in his hands. He waited a moment as Adena turned away, and gently slipped the locket over her head, hands steady as he fastened the clasp at the nape of her neck. His job done, Steve pulled back and watched as she turned to show him how it looked on her.

The length of the chain was perfect; it settled the locket just below the dimple of her collarbone. She could wear it beneath her clothing or over it, as she was now. The shine of the silver was pretty against her skin, and Steve privately congratulated himself on choosing the right mineral for her. Gold wouldn't have suited her, and he doubted that she'd have accepted gold anyway. Silver was perfect, and from the delight on her face, Adena clearly loved it.

"It's wonderful, Cap," she said, looking up at him with shining eyes. "Thank you."

Then, leaning forward, she kissed him on the cheek, her lips warm and soft against his skin.

* * *

It was like an out-of-body experience.

The contact was brief, but the sensation that followed struck him like a bolt of lightning to the stomach. Heat spread through him, and for a minute, Steve felt as though that lightning bolt had heated up his entire body –certainly his face felt warm, because he felt as though it were on fire from the blood rushing there.

It was then that he realized he was blushing. Blushing! His face had never felt so warm in his life.

But the next moment, he was back to his usual self, the serum running through his veins calming him down and bringing his body back to normal.

But even if his body had calmed, a small spark had been lit, and Steve rather doubted that it was going to be fading anytime soon.

* * *

I don't know what possessed me to kiss Cap, even if it was on the cheek. We'd never shared anything more intimate than a hug, and a peck on the cheek was something that was a pretty major step up in the showing of affection, at least for us.

But at the time, it had seemed appropriate. Besides, girls kissed guys on the cheek for dozens of reasons and the world never ended, so what could it hurt, right? And he'd been so sweet and thoughtful, how could I not give him a small token of thanks of my own?

When I pulled back from the little kiss, I could see the blush on his cheeks, and all at once, something inside me went all mushy. It wasn't like other times when I'd gone mushy, like seeing a cute puppy or an adorable sight that made me melt a tiny bit. No, this was different, but I didn't want to think about it, because it was a very bad idea.

I knew at that moment that I was beginning to get a crush on Cap.

Okay, so I'd had a crush on him before, when I was younger and my grandma was telling me all sorts of awesome, wonderful stories about Captain America and his world-saving missions. Back then, I'd been a little kid who squealed in delight whenever Grandma whipped out the Captain America Photo Album she and her mother had put together, so long ago.

When I'd gotten older, my girly-crush had 'matured' into a fan-crush, and a corner of my room had sported Captain America images that Grandma had gotten photocopied and slightly enlarged, all for my own admiring. How could I not adore a man who was handsome, brave, and willing to dive head-first into danger to save his country?

But now I knew the actual man behind the shield. He was sweet, sensitive, and rather shy with women –a trait which might annoy some people, but I found it endearing. He was polite and respectful, as well as patient, and very bright in all aspects, not just war and battle strategies.

'_And it doesn't hurt that he's easy on the eyes, too_,' a voice gently teased in the back of my mind.

I quickly squished that voice down. Having a crush on Captain America had been fine when I was a youngster, but it wouldn't do now that I actually knew the man. It wasn't ethical, with him being my student and me his tutor –not when he had put his trust in me like he had. It would be like trying to take advantage of him, and seem like I was using him to live out my past romantic fantasies in the here-and-now.

It wouldn't be true, of course, but that's how it might be perceived by others, and I couldn't bear for anyone, least of all Cap, to think that of me.

'_Not to mention that Director Fury would probably kick my ass if he knew about any of this_.'

Oh, that would definitely be a bad thing. I had seen Director Fury when he was upset, and the thought of being the focus of not only his anger, but the possible target of his numerous assassins, was almost enough to destroy any feelings I was beginning to feel for Cap.

Almost…but not quite.

* * *

Looking at Adena's face, Steve was relieved and somewhat amused to see that she was blushing, too –it was just a slight dusting of rose in her cheeks, but it was there. Had she felt the same thing he had?

That last thought made Steve pause a moment. He didn't even know what he'd felt, so how would he know if she had felt it, too?

But right now she was giving him a brilliant smile, so he was willing to wait and puzzle those confusing thoughts out later.

"We should turn in for the night," she said, the very voice of common sense. "Tomorrow we can have a day off, if you want. We can even go to the movies. I don't think you've been to the movies in the time that I've known you."

She was right –he hadn't been to the movies since he'd recovered from his time in the ice. But he wasn't sure he was ready for the modern movie experience quite yet. But if Adena thought it might be fun, then he was willing to give it a try. "The theater sounds like a good idea," he agreed, hiding his reluctance.

Adena seemed to pause for a moment. "Or, if you want to save some time and money, we can have a movie day here," she suggested. "I could download some films from the Internet and put it on the television, and we can have all sorts of food and stuff while we watch them."

That sounded much more appealing. "We certainly have enough to snack on," he teased, earning a smile from her.

"Alright, then," she happily declared. "Movie day it is. There are a few film series that I'd like you to see, but we'll take it slow. I'll make up a list, and we can pick and choose what we'd like to watch tomorrow, after breakfast. Okay?"

The two of them stood up and made as if to head to their rooms. Adena, however, put a hand on his arm, stopping him from leaving. "Thank you again for the locket. I can't imagine how you managed to pull off something like this, right under my nose."

"Well, it wasn't entirely my efforts alone," Steve grudgingly admitted. "When I told him what I wanted to do, Tony offered to help. I gave him the design, but his jeweler crafted it."

Admiration shone in her eyes. "You designed this?" she asked. He nodded. "I didn't even know you could draw or design jewelry! Why don't you tell me these things?"

Steve had to grin at her. "I can't tell you all my secrets," he teased, earning a gentle smack on the arm.

"Go to bed," she ordered, eyes sparkling with humor.

He gave her a mock salute and went to his room, smiling as the sound of Adena's soft laughter followed him.

* * *

AN: So, what did everyone think? I thought the shield motif was appropriate, given the circumstances, and not too over-the-top, which would totally be more Tony Stark's style than Cap's.

Review?


	10. Complicated Feelings

Disclaimer: Sadly, I own nothing related to Marvel, either the comics, movies, TV shows, etc. All of that belongs to the Disney Corporation (though I might try kidnapping Captain America and Hawkeye some day, just for fun).

AN: Okay, I don't really know Chris Evans's quirks, or Captain America's, so I'm going off of my imagination, and a few things I noticed during the film. Thanks, and please don't forget to review!

**Chapter 10: Complicated Feelings:**

It was official: I was developing a serious crush on Cap.

Much as I tried to ignore and suppress it, I couldn't; not when all I had to do was reach up and touch the lovely gift he had given me. No one had ever given me something that was meaningful and significant not only to me, but also to the person who'd gifted it.

Cap's infamous insignia had been with me all my life. Grandma had showed it to me often, and had ingrained in me the moral duty of being good and doing good things for people who needed it most. Those colors and symbols gave me a sense of determination to do what I could, and take pride in not only myself, but of the country I lived in.

For Cap, those same colors held such great pride to _him_ that, to me, it was as though he were honoring me by sharing those same colors and symbols. Having me wear them around my neck, decorating a locket he had designed for me personally, touched something deep inside my very soul that no one else had.

Unfortunately, I didn't know what to do about these feelings, and to be honest, it scared me. Not that these were bad sensations –they were actually quite nice and warm, and it made me happy. But when I really thought about it, I began to wonder if Cap hadn't meant to make me feel this way, and that I was possibly reading too far into his kindly gesture.

* * *

I spent all that first night thinking about the locket, and the warm feeling I felt whenever my hand reached up and brushed against it.

'_Don't even think about it_,' I kept lecturing myself. '_It's just a nice thank-you gift from Cap. He's just being the nice guy he always is_.'

But no man had ever given me something like this before. I'd been so busy with my life that I'd never really had a serious boyfriend, and the romantic part of me was quite willing to sigh and smile dreamily over the sweet gesture.

The sensible side was far more argumentative. It reminded me that Cap was, by nature, a very sweet man, as well as thoughtful and sensitive, which would explain why he wanted to give me such a nice present.

'_He'd obviously just wanted to thank me for all the hard work I'd been doing with him, that's all. And he knows that I'd grown up idolizing him, so the shield motif was clearly the best choice for a design_,' my logical side dictated.

Plus, the Captain America shield was wasn't an intimate or romantically inclined design –it wasn't flowery, and didn't have romantic words or hearts engraved on the interior or exterior, which would have clearly indicated that Cap's feelings were heading in that direction.

Nope, it was a round locket, with a patriotic design, that was it. It was obviously given in thanks and friendship, so I immediately decided to head off any feelings my romantic side chose to indulge in.

Of course, that was easier said than done.

* * *

The day after I received my gift, I began noticing things I'd sort of taken for granted when it came to Cap. I already knew that he was handsome, sweet, and shy, but really, it's hard to believe that he doesn't know how great of a guy he is, both on the inside and the out. And yet, that was another part of him that I couldn't help but be fond of.

One of the first things I noticed was the way he held the door open for me. I think I'd never noticed this before because I was so focused on that day's activities that I didn't really pay attention to anything except Cap's lesson for the day. It was a small thing, but I now that I knew about it, I appreciated how considerate he was to me.

The next thing I noticed was that he tended to hover next to, or behind me –not like a lost puppy, but more like a guard dog, or even a bodyguard. It was like he was trying to protect me from harm and make sure that nothing bad happened to me. At first, I thought he might be unconsciously doing this, after what happened with Loki, but given that the streets of New York could be dangerous, it might just be Cap being his usual protective self. I don't know why I hadn't noticed this before, but given that we were so used to walking around the city together, it seemed perfectly logical and natural that we stick close to one another.

Then, two days later, came our trip to the natural history museum, which Cap insisted we visit. As we followed a tour guided group through the building, I saw the way Cap's mouth parted a little whenever he was in awe or admiration of something.

Of course, looking at his mouth led to a closer (but still subtle) examination by me.

It really was strange that a man could have such a nice, full mouth. Rather than make him look feminine, they suited him just fine, because they just seemed to _fit_ his handsome face and his great jaw line.

And with me being me, just thinking about Cap's mouth tended to make me blush, just a bit. Like any female who liked men, my senses of romance tended to take my brain straight into fantasies about kissing him, and that was _not_ cool –at least, it wasn't cool when in my own particular pair of shoes. My sense of morals, which I held in high regard, was in direct conflict with my emotional side, and it was like I was housing a battleground, deep inside myself.

My moral compass clearly indicated that fantasizing about Cap was _not_ a good idea. Oh, it was harmless enough, I suppose, providing it didn't go beyond that, but part of me really did wonder what it would be like to kiss him.

'_Well, technically, I already have, but it was only on the cheek_,' my romantic side said, right before it dove into fantasies.

Finally, after days of torture, I decided to take Pepper Potts up on one of her offers: I needed some serious help with this problem.

* * *

My opportunity came up nearly a week after I'd gotten my locket from Cap.

During that time, I had done my best to hide my rapidly developing crush, and not act as though I were any more interested in him than I'd been before. I couldn't tell if that was going well, but Cap never asked if something was wrong, so I had to be at least somewhat convincing in acting like my usual self.

As always, JT alerted me to an incoming call, and I was never so thankful to have Pepper on the other end of the line! "I need to talk to you," I urgently told her in a soft voice, once I was in my room, alone. "It's some seriously important girl stuff, and if I don't get some help with this, I'll go nuts."

Concerned, she kindly offered to send a car over to pick me up ASAP, but I refused. "I can't leave to meet you alone without Cap knowing that something's up. I'll have to bring him along with me."

Pepper's solution was simple: she and Tony had just gotten back from their business trip to Washington DC, and were ready to relax with some friends. "Come over for food and drinks again, and we'll talk. That way, you don't have to worry about Steve finding out."

Once we'd hung up, I had a quick chat with Cap, and it was a done deal. To my surprise, Cap even seemed a bit happy that we were going; a fact that might have made me suspicious, if I did have my own problems on my mind.

* * *

On the ride over to Stark Tower, Steve couldn't help but look over at Adena and wonder what she was thinking. She had been rather distracted lately, and he knew that he had something to do with it.

Over the past week or so, he had noticed her mind wandering at the oddest times, and occasionally, he would see her eyes darting away, as though she were afraid he would catch her looking at him. She also seemed a bit sad, and he hated seeing her that way.

If he wanted to be quite honest with himself, Steve would freely admit that he hated seeing Adena look anything less than happy and content. He knew that seeing _him_ happy tended to make _her_ feel that way, but it also worked in reverse: whenever Adena was happy, so was he.

But as concerned as he was, Steve just couldn't seem to find the courage to ask her what was wrong.

Holding back a sigh, he looked out the window at the passing traffic. Just once, he wished that he had Bucky's or Tony's charm when it came to with talking to women, if only so he could ask Adena what was wrong. Normally, he wouldn't have a problem talking with her, but he was worried about possibly insulting, or worse, angering her, so simply asking her directly didn't seem the right way to do it.

Of course, that was why he had been glad at Pepper's invitation to dinner. He really could use an evening where he actually recognized the food on his plate, especially since Adena had decided to focus on Asian cuisine for a while. That meant that, at least for tonight, he wouldn't have to use chopsticks, which would give his fingers a nice rest.

But he had another reason for wanting this evening to occur: against his wishes, he needed help from Tony Stark.

Biting back a sigh, Steve leaned back in his seat and gave Adena a discreet glance. Normally, Tony's help was the last thing Steve wanted, but given the circumstances, desperate times call for desperate measures –especially when the topic of conversation was what he was feeling for Adena.

It was almost funny, how he could be willing to charge head-first into a battlefield, shield shining and guns blazing, but talking to a pretty girl froze him with fear. Peggy had been the first woman who had seen past his shyness and cared about him, but it had taken ages. It still hurt, that they hadn't even gone on a single date, and that Steve had only been able to show how he felt with a single kiss. When it came to Adena, he hoped to do better.

However, that was where he felt conflicted.

He liked Adena, probably more than he should, and part of him was angry about it. That particular part still clung to the memory of Peggy, and to be honest with himself, he still felt as though she still existed as the young woman he had grown to care for. In reality, he knew that she was now an old woman, and might even have moved on, but that fact still didn't ring true in his entire brain.

And here was Adena, a woman who had left everything behind so that she could help him fit into the modern world. She was an open, caring person with a good heart and positive attitude that he found warm and comforting in this new world he'd woken up in. In a way, she had taken him under her wing, and begun teaching him all about the world events that he'd missed while frozen in ice. Out of consideration for him, she had shown him just enough of today's technology, a little at a time, so that it didn't overwhelm him.

Steve bit back a smile as he thought about how patient she was with what she felt he could handle, like a real teacher ought to. Adena did her best to keep herself composed no matter how many questions he asked, and was always willing to answer him, even if his question might seem silly to other people. She never insulted him, and it was rare for her to get angry at him, for one reason or another, which he much appreciated.

But best of all, she didn't try and force him into doing anything he didn't really want to. Oh, she would do her best to pressure and persuade him to, say, try one type of food or another, but she would never hold him down and force him to eat something he didn't want to try. Others might lecture or get angry at his reluctance about trying new foods, or gaining new experiences, but never Adena.

'_Well, not so far, anyway_,' Steve reasoned to himself. There might be a day when that happened, but Steve was willing to bet that Adena would have to be pushed to her limits before she lost her temper with him.

Looking over, he studied her profile as she fiddled with something on JT. Though she wasn't stunningly beautiful, Adena had a prettiness to her that would last a lot further into life.

'_She'll still be an attractive woman even when she's seventy_,' he thought with a smile.

She wasn't 'fashionable,' like most women were, either. In all the months they had spent together, she had only made two shopping trips, and the second one had been for Steve's benefit, rather than hers. She didn't spend hours changing outfits, or putting on makeup; she didn't try and change her hair color, or put it up in styles that didn't suit her. Adena might gush over Pepper Potts's clothes, and how they were from Europe and incredibly expensive, but that's all she would do –she'd never try to go out and buy them, because she knew she didn't need them.

He smiled fondly at her as she tapped something into JT, and quickly put the device away. When she caught him looking at her, she gave him a puzzled look. "What's so funny?" she asked, not an ounce of anger or annoyance in her voice –just curiosity.

"Nothing," he said hurriedly. "I was just thinking about something I'd read in a book I borrowed from the library."

To his relief, she seemed to believe him, and even smiled in understanding. "That happens to me, too, sometimes. I'm glad you managed to find a book that you like."

That was another thing he liked about her: she was a woman who was fond of books and learning. If there was one thing Steve had to have in a woman, it was intelligence and a love of reading. Maybe he could get her to talk to him about something other than what she was teaching him, and find out what kinds of books she liked to read. He really would like to talk to her about things outside of their daily lessons.

Finally, the car pulled up to the front of Stark Tower, and the two of them got out to head up towards to their destination.

* * *

From the moment she stepped into the apartment, Pepper could instantly tell that something was bothering Adena.

The young woman who was usually so open, carefree, and friendly had a strained and troubled look on her face that Pepper did _not_ like seeing. Immediately, Pepper felt the need to press a cup of hot chocolate into the younger woman's hands, then sit them both down on the couch so that she could find out what was bothering her.

Fortunately, Pepper had decided to serve a simple meal tonight, consisting mostly of both hot and cold appetizers that could be eaten whenever a person was hungry. Tony had some of the same set up down below, where he had set up shop so the men could sit and talk without the 'ladies' overhearing.

After directing Steve downstairs to Tony's workshop, Pepper did exactly what her first instinct had told her to when dealing with Adena, with one minor adjustment: instead of hot cocoa, she served up a strawberry daiquiri that Tony had made and set in the fridge, specifically for Adena's consumption. Once Adena was settled on the couch, drink in hand, Pepper then filled up a couple plates with a little of each appetizer, and put them on the coffee table near the couch, so they could eat and talk.

"Okay, so spill," Pepper said, sitting down next to her friend. "I know something's going on."

Adena simply sat there, sipping, for a good long minute, not saying one word, and clearly thinking hard about what she was going to say. Still, even after her sipping had slowed, she stayed quiet.

Pepper sighed. "Does it have to do with Steve?" She saw Adena frown a little, so she knew she'd guessed right. "Did you two have a fight?"

"No," Adena muttered, eyes focused on the contents of her glass. "Nothing like that."

Sighing again, Pepper didn't know whether to be frustrated or not. "So, what is it?"

Adena took another sip of her drink, the rum clearly starting to relax her, just a bit. "I…think I'm getting a crush on him."

Pepper had to blink in surprise. "A crush?" she asked, hoping she'd heard right.

She probably shouldn't be as surprised as she was. It was clear that Adena and Steve fit well together: they were both good, kind-hearted people who were willing to help each other without expecting anything in return. True, Adena _was_ being paid to help Steve fit into the world, but Pepper had a feeling that she'd have helped him even without the money. Without a doubt, Steve would do the same, if the roles were reversed.

And the chemistry between them was unmistakable –after having them over a few times, Pepper had to admire how cute and _comfortable_ the two were in each other's company. They were always talking and teasing each other as though they'd known each other their whole lives, instead of months. The teacher-student boundary that ought to exist didn't seem to be there –or if there was one, it was very faint, at least to Pepper's eye. The two were obviously friends, and in a lot of instances, things could easily go from friendship into something more.

But what was the problem? "So, you like him," Pepper said, trying to get a clear picture of what was wrong. Adena nodded. "And the problem is…?"

"It's not ethical!" Adena replied, clutching her glass with both hands as though it were a life preserver and she were a person lost at sea. "I'm supposed to be teaching him how to live in today's world, not developing feelings for him!"

She took a long sip of her drink, the liquid's level dipping down significantly as she drank. "What if Cap finds out and he doesn't feel the same?" Her eyes widened. "Or worse: what if Director Fury finds out? I work for SHIELD now, and he's my boss, so he can reassign me if he thinks I'm acting out of bounds. And I can't do that to Cap; he's got enough to worry about as it is! Getting a new tutor would just upset things further, and I just can't do that to him."

By now, Adena's words were starting to get a bit rushed, and Pepper could see that she was close to tears. "Okay, Adena, calm down and eat something," she said, handing the other woman a plate of food. "The lamb sandwich is great, and so are the tiny pizzas. I think you'll like the chicken skewers, too."

To her relief, Adena did as she asked. Pepper hated seeing her friend upset, so she was glad when Adena praised the food and ate every bite on her plate, which was a bit more like her old self –if there was ever a girl who enjoyed good food, it was Adena!

When her friend's plate was empty, Pepper put the empty plates aside and settled back on the couch. "Now, what do you intend to do about your crush? Are you going to act on it and ask him out?"

"No!" Adena cried, jumping in her seat. "No, I can't do that."

"So are you just going to sit around and wait for your feelings to disappear?" Pepper said, only slightly joking. "Because I don't think that's going to work."

"I don't know…it might," Adena murmured, finishing off her drink. "Can I have another one of these? I think I need it."

Pepper sighed. "I don't think drinking's the answer to your problem," she gently told her.

Adena simply gave her a sad smile. "You never know." She offered her nearly empty glass. "Please?"

Against her better judgment, Pepper did as she was asked. Maybe, if she was drunk enough, Adena would listen to whatever advice Pepper could offer her.

* * *

AN: Review?


	11. Dating Help from Tony Stark

Disclaimer: Sadly, I own nothing related to Marvel, either the comics, movies, TV shows, etc. All of that belongs to the Disney Corporation (though I might try kidnapping Captain America and Hawkeye some day, just for fun).

AN: Update time! Enjoy, and please don't forget to review! Thanks!

**Chapter 11: Dating Help from Tony Stark:**

Even though he was more comfortable with technology, and could easily see when something in a machine or computer wasn't working, Tony could still tell when a human being had a burden on their shoulders. Being in a relationship with Pepper had opened up a whole new world of sensitivity, and even though Tony didn't really like being that 'soft,' it did tend to come in handy, once in a while.

Today was one of those days.

The minute Steve Rogers walked into his workroom, Tony knew something was bothering the man –it was written all over his face. Since Adena would never permit Rogers to look this troubled without trying to help him, Tony knew that whatever Steve had on his mind had to be a big secret from her for some reason.

"You know, if I didn't already know that you can't get drunk, I'd offer you the best scotch or whiskey I've got," Tony joked, offering his friend a seat.

Steve only gave him a weak smile before sitting, not even bothering with a comeback. That was a very clear sign that something was wrong.

Sighing, Tony poured a glass of scotch for him, and got a can of soda before taking a seat near his friend. "Here," he said, handing him the can. "So, tell me what's got you looking like a pile of misery."

For a second, he thought Rogers wasn't going to cough it up, but after a few drinks from his soda can, he seemed to be ready to open up. "It has to do with Adena."

It took a little while for that so sink in. Personally, Tony thought Adena was great –smart, funny, sweet, and with enough fire in her to keep a guy on his toes. In a way, she was a lot like Pepper, which was probably why he liked her so much.

But why would Steve have a problem with Adena? The two seemed to be perfect together, as far as Tony could tell. He hadn't heard of any arguments going on between them, and given that they were both some of the most decent, patient, and hard-working people Tony had ever met, he was pretty surprised to hear that Rogers had issues with his 'tutor' and friend.

"What's the problem?" Tony slowly asked. "You're not getting on each other's nerves, are you? Any plans on going your separate ways?"

"No, nothing like that," Steve hastily assured him, his eyes focused downwards.

By now, Tony was starting to get a hint of the bigger picture. It was pretty clear from the uncomfortable way Rogers was sitting there, with a blushing face. Yup, it was pretty obvious.

"You _like_ her," Tony said casually, smiling as the other man look up at him in surprise. "Nope, don't deny it, it's written all over you. You like Adena, and you don't know how to handle it, right?"

Steve gave a silent nod. As it was, Tony felt pretty proud at having figured out the problem, but when the troubled look on Steve's face didn't vanish, he knew there was a lot more the other man wasn't telling him.

"Okay, spill the rest of it," Tony ordered, motioning with his free hand. "You've got more on your mind than just figuring out how to ask Adena out on a date."

For a second, he thought Rogers was going to protest about asking out Adena, but the other man quickly changed his mind. Instead, he said something that Tony wasn't expecting.

"I'm scared," Steve admitted.

Normally, Tony would gladly have taken those words and made a huge joke about the whole thing. However, he knew how much it cost this brave soldier to say that, so rather than try and bait him, he decided to do the right thing.

"Scared of what? Adena?" Tony asked. "Or are you scared of asking women out in general?"

"Yes," Steve muttered in reply as he took another sip from his soda can. "But there's something else, too."

That was when Tony learned about Agent Peggy Carter, who was the first woman to ever show interest in Steve Rogers. Tony sort of figured that a strong, take-charge woman would suit Captain America, but Adena was what Steve Rogers _needed_.

True, Adena wasn't a kick-butt sort of gal, always ready to go charging into danger, but she was warm, caring, and steady, just like Steve. But Adena could also be strong, as she'd proven by going with Phil to try and keep Loki from escaping the SHIELD hovercraft. She'd even (mildly) gotten over her dislike of weaponry just to help a friend. But she was also strong-willed, as Tony knew, since she'd somehow gotten Steve Rogers to go out and actually experience the modern world, something the man had been very reluctant to do.

"You know what your problem is?" Tony said, taking a sip from his glass. "You're not just scared of asking her out –you're afraid of losing her."

He could see the surprise, confusion, and disbelief on Steve's face. "What?"

"You're scared of losing her," Tony repeated, waiving a forefinger at him to emphasize his point. "You think that the end result of getting close to a woman _now_ will be losing her, like you lost your chance with Peggy seventy years ago. You're scared that history will repeat itself."

* * *

Steve didn't want to admit it, but Tony was right. He _was_ scared, and of a lot of things.

He was scared of approaching Adena with feelings that were more than friendship, because he couldn't help but think that, as soon as they got close, they might be separated during one of his missions and never see each other again, just like with Peggy. Steve could only imagine the pain that his disappearance had put Peggy through, and even though there was a small chance of that happening now, he didn't want Adena to go through that, either.

But most of all, Steve was terrified of what Adena would say if he ever got the courage to ask her on a date. Would she laugh at him as soon as he asked? Or would she gently tell him that she was his friend, and then say that she didn't think of him that way?

"Jeez, Rogers, would you just go ask her out already?" Tony huffed, interrupting Steve's thoughts. "You won't know how she feels if you don't _ask_ her!"

Steve shifted in his seat. "I don't really know how," he grudgingly admitted.

That was partially why he wanted (or rather, needed) Tony's help: like his father, Tony was a charmer with women, and probably had very few problems when it came to dealing with women and dating. There was just an air about the Stark men that was appealing to women -Steve thought it might be their money or looks, or both, but there was a suaveness and way with words they also had, which Steve himself lacked.

Rolling his eyes, Tony sighed. "Seriously, it's not that hard," he retorted. "You go up to her, ask her on a date, and see what she says. That's it."

Sighing, Steve shook his head –Tony just didn't seem to understand his situation. Up until the day of the experiment that made him who he was now, Steve had been small and sickly-looking, which tended to drive women away. Women tended to avoid men they thought were weak, or were afraid of stepping on when dancing, which was why Steve had such little experience in talking to them.

After the experiment, things had gotten better, with women beginning to notice of him and his new physicality. However, with all his new responsibilities, there's been little time for Steve to even approach a woman for a date, much less go on one. And so, by the time he'd gone under the ice, the closest thing he'd ever had to a date, or a relationship with a woman, was a brief kiss with Peggy.

In all honesty, because of his previous life, Steve was more terrified of being rejected than anything else. He couldn't bear the idea of Adena's rejection -or worse of all, her going on a date with him out of pity or feeling that she _had_ to, not because she wanted to.

"You know, Rogers, as much as I'd like to offer you dating advice, I can't," Tony said, putting aside his empty drink glass.

Steve tried to protest, but Tony stopped him. "Not that I don't want to –trust me, I wish I could!" Tony continued. "But the stunts that I used to pull off before hooking up with Pepper just wouldn't work with you."

Tony could probably see the confusion and frustration in Steve's eyes, because he seemed to be laughing at him. "Trust me, Rogers, when I say that you're too open and nice a guy for my tricks and tips to work out. You've got morals and stuff from another time, but I mean that in the nicest way, because some women might like that. But you need to know that all of my advice would involve you going against everything you've been raised with, and that just wouldn't sit right with you."

Damn it, he was right. Steve was from a long-gone era, and anything Tony suggested would probably be tangled up by the morals and ethics that Steve had learned when he was young. As nice as Tony was to admit that, it still left Steve without a solution to his problem.

Suddenly, Tony snapped his fingers, getting Steve's attention. "I've got an idea! We could do a double date, but on the sly!"

Perplexed, Steve sat and listened to his friend outline the idea.

* * *

It was surprisingly simple: Tony would have Pepper ask Adena and Steve to join them for a "night out on the town." They would go to dinner at a fancy restaurant, then afterwards, head to some kind of evening event, like the ballet or theater.

In all honesty, Steve didn't really have an interest in either the theater or ballet, but if it provided an excuse to spend an evening with not only Adena, but also his friends, then he was willing to put up with it for one night.

"We won't tell either woman that it's a double date, though," Tony warned him before they went upstairs. "I'll tell Pepper that you two deserve a 'cultural night out' in the city, and she'll take it from there. Trust me, she's great with planning, and in New York, it's easy to find stuff to do at night!"

Steve also noted that, by having two other people along, it would keep things from becoming too awkward between him and Adena. Not that things ever got that uncomfortable between them, but as a soldier, he liked have a 'safety net,' just in case things started going wrong.

But would Adena be suspicious of any of this? She was a smart woman, and Steve wasn't sure they'd be able to slip this past her. He asked Tony, and was quickly reassured that things would go smoothly.

"Trust me, as long as we use the words 'as friends,' she won't suspect a thing," Tony said. "She and Pepper are close already, and girls love hanging out together, so she'll just take it at face value. Besides, she doesn't have a clue that you like her that way, so she won't even consider the idea that it's actually a date."

It did made him feel a little better, but Steve knew that Adena was smarter than Tony was giving her credit for. Still, Tony did have a point: Adena didn't know about Steve's growing feelings towards her, so she might just think it was a simple night out with friends.

"Here's hoping," he muttered as the elevator opened at the top floor.

* * *

To his absolute shock, Adena was drunk. She wasn't completely inebriated, but she was more than a bit tipsy, much to Pepper's embarrassment.

"I'm sorry about this," she apologized. "I think there was more alcohol in her drinks than I thought."

Tony seemed to blush a little, a clear indication that he'd been the one to mix the liquor, but Steve wasn't mad. How could he be upset, when he got to put his arm around Adena's waist? So it was to keep her leaning against him for support as she stood, but that was alright.

"Don't worry," Steve assured both Pepper and Tony. "I'll take her home and put her to bed. She'll be fine tomorrow."

"Give her lots of water before bed, and have an aspirin handy for when she wakes up," Tony advised as Adena let Steve lead her to the elevator.

Pepper nodded. "Let her sleep late tomorrow, and make sure she gets mellow foods."

Steve nodded, feeling rather strange as he stepped into the elevator, Adena's head resting against his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Cap," she muttered on the way down. "I didn't mean to get wasted."

He guessed 'wasted' was another term for drunk. "It's alright," he gently told her.

On the ride home, he marveled at this switch of responsibilities: now _he_ was supposed to take care of _Adena_, rather than her looking out for him.

'_Which isn't a bad thing_,' he admitted as the car pulled up to the apartment building. '_She needs someone to both look out for and take care of her, once in a while_.'

Not that he minded Adena watching out for him, but sometimes Steve felt that it would be nice to do something for her, for a change. After everything she'd done on his behalf, she certainly deserved it.

Helping her on and off the elevator to their floor, Steve made sure that he had his arm around her the entire time, to keep her from falling and accidentally harming herself. They made it home with no problem, and once she was in her room, he left her alone, so that she could change for bed while he got a pitcher of cool water, a glass, and a bottle of aspirin, which he put on a tray to take to her.

Knocking on her bedroom door, he heard her weakly call for him to enter, and he did so. Adena was already in bed, one arm thrown over her eyes against the light from the bedside lamp. Grinning, Steve gently placed the tray on the table and shook her shoulder.

"Come on, you need to drink some water," Steve gently ordered as she groaned. "Don't argue; just sit up and do it."

With him to help her, Adena managed to down two glasses of water, and half of another, before falling asleep against him. Smiling, Steve gently laid her down and tucked her in, leaving the water, the empty glass, and the aspirin for her to take tomorrow.

As he fell into his own bed, Steve silently wondered if Tony would be successful. Personally, Steve didn't think Pepper would fall for it, but people were unpredictable, so it was hard to tell what they would do. Hopefully, Pepper would go along with it, and not suspect a thing –if she did, though, Steve had no doubt that Tony would tell her all about their plans. Whether Pepper thought it a good a idea or not, would be the question.

'_Well, I don't find out until tomorrow_,' he reasoned, trying to relax.

And tomorrow, Steve knew he would be tending to a very sick Adena. So, right now, he needed sleep, because he knew he was going to need it!

* * *

Once their guests had left, Tony had to give Pepper a smirk. "You got Adena drunk," he said, trying not to laugh.

His girlfriend sent him a glare. "I did not," she retorted. "She accidentally had too much to drink, that's all. I don't know how much alcohol you put in there, but don't do it again, okay? The poor girl's got enough on her plate, and dealing with a hangover just makes her life more difficult."

Now he was curious. "Really?" he drawled. "Something I should know about?"

"_No_," Pepper firmly told him. "She's just got a lot on her mind, that's all. She's _only_ teaching seventy years' worth of history, culture, and food to a superhero, you know. Of _course_ she's got a lot on her mind!"

Being a genius, Tony immediately had his suspicions. He had the gut feeling that Adena had confided a few things to his girlfriend, things that probably had to do with Rogers. It couldn't be anything bad, though, given that Rogers was a Boy Scout who'd never cause trouble for his friend and tutor. It might have something to do with what Adena might be feeling for Rogers, but Tony wasn't going to push the topic further with Pepper, not when she looked this irritated. Instead, he decided to be smart and change the subject.

"Well, if you think she's that overworked, it might be nice for us to take them out for a night on the town," Tony said, smiling as he told her his brilliant idea. "They deserve a break from teaching and learning, don't you think?"

Almost immediately, Pepper seemed to lose her anger and frustration. "A night on the town?" She appeared to think about it. "That's a really good idea. It might be good for the both of them, and Captain Rogers can take in a bit of modern culture, too."

As she began rattling off ideas while whipping out her smartphone (so that she could plan while she talked), Tony had to smile in triumph. Pepper really was a magician when it came to planning things out, and he had full confidence in her pulling off a great night for everyone.

Flopping down on his couch, he let his mind wander while Pepper continued muttering and typing into her phone. That night was definitely going to be interesting!

* * *

AN: Shorter chapter this time, but it's a good place to stop, so here we are. The next one will be longer (I hope). Thanks, and please don't forget to review!


	12. A Change of Roles

Disclaimer: Sadly, I own nothing related to Marvel, either the comics, movies, TV shows, etc. All of that belongs to the Disney Corporation (though I might try kidnapping Captain America and Hawkeye some day, just for fun).

AN: I thought it might be nice to change things a little between Steve and Adena. Seriously, who wouldn't want Steve Rogers taking care of them when they're sick? Enjoy, and please review!

**Chapter 12: A Change of Roles:**

Groaning, I opened my eyes and tried to focus, even though my head felt like it was going to explode.

'_What happened_?' I wondered, my hand going to my aching head.

I remembered drinking more than usual, and chatting with Pepper about something, but that's where it got fuzzy. I couldn't remember the ride home, or anything else before waking up. Of course, given how I felt, I probably didn't _want_ to remember what had happened last night.

Not that I felt that I'd done anything stupid; I just had this really silly image of Cap taking care of me while I felt this gross.

In spite of my pain, I managed a weak smile. '_Yeah, sure; Cap taking care of __**me**_! _In what universe could __**that**__ happen_?'

Looking over at my bedside table, I had to blink several times to be sure I wasn't seeing things. There was a pitcher of water, a glass, and a bottle of aspirin. How had those gotten there?

'_Did I put those there last night_?' I wondered.

I didn't remember doing it, and given how tipsy I'd been, I doubted that I'd possessed enough functionality to get into bed, much less fill a pitcher and put stuff on a tray. So who'd done this?

"Adena?" whispered a voice from my doorway. Looking over, I saw it was Cap, who had a very sympathetic look on his face. "Are you alright?"

He must have seen how miserable I felt, because he quickly came over and poured a glass of water for me. "Here, drink that and I'll get you an aspirin."

As I sat up, my hand took the full glass from him, and brought it to my lips. It was cool and soothing, though my head still felt like it was going to either implode or explode. Once I'd downed the glass, Cap handed me two aspirin, which I downed quickly, followed by another glass of water.

"This tastes surprisingly good for water that's been sitting out all night," I jokingly commented as Cap poured me glass number three.

"Actually, I got it for you about an hour or two ago," he admitted. "I thought you'd like something fresher when you got up."

I had to smile at him. "That's sweet of you, Cap, but you didn't have to do that."

He actually gave me a teasing grin. "After everything you've done for me, you think I'd let you suffer a hangover without trying to help you? Not likely!"

I managed a short laugh before my headache got the better of me. "Ouch," I winced, clutching my head.

Cap was there in a second, a gentle hand on my shoulder as he also tried to help me hold my glass. "Are you okay? Are you going to be sick?"

Now, if there's one thing I did _not_ want Cap to see, it's me being sick in the toilet. I _did_ feel nauseous, but luckily, not to the point where I wanted to lose last night's dinner.

"I'm okay," I told him. "I think I just need some more sleep."

He nodded his understanding. "Alright; I'll be in the living room if you need anything. When you're awake and hungry, let me know –I'll whip up something for you then."

Too tired to argue, I agreed. "Have fun with your free day," I joked as I leaned back onto my pillow, eyes already starting to drift shut.

There was a long pause, and just as I was falling into sleep, I felt strong, gentle fingers brush some hair off of my forehead. "Sleep well, Adena," I heard Cap whisper before fading into dreams.

* * *

Gazing down at her sleeping face, Steve had to smile. She looked so peaceful, lying there.

Picking up the tray with its contents, he carried it back to the kitchen, the tension in his shoulders melting away as he began feeling better about her condition. If there was one thing Steve hated, it was seeing Adena miserable or in pain, and if he'd been reading her face correctly this morning, she was experiencing both. Pouring the water in the pitcher down the drain, Steve counted himself lucky that Adena had never been sick in the entire time they'd known one another.

The worry of possibly losing a friend or family member to sickness was an old one. When he was a child, his father had died suddenly, possibly of illness; as a teen, Steve had seen his mother sicken and die of pneumonia. Even though he knew science had come far when it came to medicine, there were illnesses out in the world that were quite deadly. So, of course, Steve did _not_ like thinking about Adena being sick for any reason.

'_Stop it_,' he chided himself. '_She's alright; it's just a hangover. She might be miserable for a while but it's only temporary. Nobody dies from hangovers_.'

The sound of the apartment phone ringing surprised him, almost making him drop the pitcher into the sink. Hastily setting down the container, Steve ran to answer the phone before it woke Adena. The ring probably wasn't loud enough to be heard through her bedroom door, but he didn't want to risk it.

Wondering who could be calling him, he put the receiver to his ear. "Hello?"

"Hi, Steve," Pepper replied. "I wanted to call and make sure Adena was doing okay. I would have called JT, but I didn't want to risk waking her, in case she was still asleep."

Steve gave a polite cough. "Um, she's resting right now, and seems fine." He paused. "How did you get this number?" he couldn't help asking.

"Phil gave it to me," Pepper said, amusement showing through in her voice. "Actually, he gave it to me a while ago, but since Adena got JT, I haven't really had an excuse to use it until now."

"Oh," was all Steve could say on that matter. "Well, she's fine. Is there anything else you needed? Did you want to talk to her at all?"

"No, no," Pepper hastily reassured him. "Actually, I wanted to call and ask if the two of you would like to join me and Tony for an evening out in New York City. It doesn't have to be tonight –maybe tomorrow night, or this weekend?"

Steve had to grin. It looked like Tony had done what he'd promised, and apparently Pepper didn't suspect a thing. "That sounds great," he replied. "I don't think Adena will be recovered by tonight, so tomorrow night sounds perfect."

"Great!" Pepper chimed. "We'll be there around five thirty. See you both then!"

Placing the receiver back in its place, felt his stomach knot up and doubt start to sink in. In his head, Steve wondered if Adena might figure out what was going on, and decide not to go. She was a smart woman, and quick to pick up on things.

Well, it was too late now. Adena was bound to find out about Pepper's invitation eventually, either from Steve or from Pepper herself. He had a feeling that Pepper might call later on tonight, once Adena was her old self again, and if he didn't tell her about it, she'd probably get upset about it.

'_I'll do it once she's feeling better_,' he decided.

Now all he had to do was figure out how and when he was going to do it.

* * *

When I woke up hours later, my head still felt like it'd been stuffed with thick fog, and my mouth tasted like dry desert air. It was horrible, but at least my head didn't ache anymore, and I wasn't too nauseous, either.

Very carefully, I managed to roll myself out of bed and head to the bathroom for a long hot shower, clearing my head and relaxing my mind and body. When I was done, I dressed casually, and headed out into the apartment.

On the couch was Cap, a book in his hands and a thoughtful look on his face. I had to smile at the cute picture he made, even if his mouth was turned downwards a little in a frown. Of course, he sensed me watching him, and looked up, a joyful smile quickly replacing the frown.

"You're awake!" he exclaimed, tossing the book aside as he got up. "How do you feel? Are you hungry?"

Surprisingly, I was, but preferably for something light. When I told him that, he nodded. "There's a café a block from here. I haven't been there since you moved in, but the food was good and they had a lot of choices on the menu."

Actually, a café sounded pretty good, and I really could use a walk outside. "Alright," I agreed. "Let's go."

* * *

The café was pretty nice, with outdoor tables and umbrellas, in case of rain. A nice host sat us quickly at a table outside because, for some reason, Cap thought the warm sunshine would be good for me. It was a nice gesture, but I wasn't an avid fan of eating outdoors. Even so, I went along with it, if only to make him happy.

Glancing through the menu the host handed us, Cap quickly decided on a French Dip sandwich, while I chose a Caesar salad and a bowl of soup. He looked a little concerned about my order, but I assured him it was what I wanted to eat.

"You usually order something more substantial than that," he said with a frown.

I barely restrained myself from rolling my eyes. "It might be lighter stuff than what I typically order, but trust me, it's what I want."

At that moment, our waitress, a pretty blonde with a sweet face, came to take our order. As she flipped her pad to a blank sheet, I saw her eyes flick over to Cap, a look of recognition in her face. I remembered that Cap said he'd been here before I'd come into his life, and the waitress clearly recognized him. But from the blush in her cheeks and the way she looked at him, it was clear the poor thing had a crush on Cap.

"What can I get you?" she asked, looking at him but not at me.

After Cap ordered his food, the waitress turned towards me, the warm glimmer that had been there when she'd looked at Cap swiftly changing into jealousy. Rather than lose my cool, I just gave her a polite smile, ordered my food, and waited until she was gone before leaning over towards Cap.

"She likes you," I whispered to him. I probably shouldn't have said anything, but he really did need to know, in case the girl asked him out on a date, or for his phone number.

He looked at me in surprise. "What?"

"She likes you," I stated. "It's kind of obvious." I smiled at him. "Just don't be surprised if she tries to give you her number and asks you to call her."

I wanted to laugh as he blushed slightly, his awkward shifting in his seat practically screaming how embarrassed he was. "I'll keep that in mind," Cap muttered as the waitress returned with two glasses of ice water.

"Anything else I can get you right now?" she asked, though the question was clearly directed at Cap. Normally, I'd have been pretty mad at how rude she was being, but given the situation, it was kind of fun watching the whole thing from here.

"No, thanks," Cap replied, clearly still uncomfortable with the situation. "Adena, did you want anything?"

"Nope, I'm good," I said, smiling politely at the waitress, who nodded and left. Sipping my water, I had to grin as I teased him, "Well, that was amusing."

He glared at me. "Not funny," he muttered. "If she does give me her number or ask me out, I'll say 'no.'"

Even though I was secretly glad he'd refuse a date with a pretty waitress, I was still surprised with the way Cap was reacting to the whole thing. After all, most men would have been happy to have an cute, attractive girl interested in them, and even though Cap was more old-fashioned than others, he had been alone for a long time. He could probably use a date out with someone.

"Well, you know, Cap, maybe it wouldn't be a bad thing for you to start dating," I said, the words almost killing me to say. "I mean, I wouldn't want you to be alone and miserable for the rest of your life. If she asks you out, you should think about it."

At that point, my heart and stomach felt like they were going to make an escape through my throat. I hated the idea of Cap going out with another girl, but if he wanted to, I wouldn't stop him –after all, it's not as though _we_ were a couple or anything.

"No," Cap firmly said, startling me with the finality of that single word.

Looking at him, I was shocked at how determined his facial expression was. "But Cap, you should at least consider-"

"No," he interrupted me. "Believe me, she's not the girl I have in mind when it comes to dating."

I'd never seen him look so certain about something. Not that it frightened me or anything, but his attitude about this subject was surprising. But rather than push the issue, I decided to let it go and talk about something else.

But I couldn't help but feel a little happy that he didn't want to date a cute waitress.

* * *

Naturally, Steve couldn't tell Adena _why_ he didn't want to go on a date with their waitress; not when he didn't know how he felt about Adena, or how she felt about him. He could only hope that she took his word for it, and be relieved when she dropped the subject.

"I wanted to thank you for taking care of me last night, and this morning," she said, turning talk to something other than dating. "It probably wasn't a fun situation for you, but I really appreciate it."

He smiled. "It was no problem. After all the time you've spent looking out for me and helping me adjust to everything, the least I could do was return the favor."

"Still, if it hadn't been for you, I'd still be in bed, feeling miserable and gross," she said, smiling warmly at him. "I hope I didn't embarrass myself by doing anything stupid."

Steve could see that she was genuinely worried about her actions last night, so he rushed to reassure her. "You didn't," he said. "You were coherent enough to get you inside, get some water into you, and put to bed without any trouble. That's all."

He watched the anxiety and fear quickly drain out of her. "Thank goodness for that! I've heard some of my friends' embarrassing stories, and _really_ didn't want any of my own!"

Conversation died off right about then, but only because their meals had arrived. Steve was more than happy with his sandwich, but worried that the soup and salad wouldn't be enough to for Adena. Even though she'd assured him that it was what she wanted, he knew that she had a healthy appetite.

'_Then again, the salad is on the large side, and the soup is in a large cup, so it might be enough for her_,' he reasoned while taking a bite out of his sandwich.

As the two of them ate, Steve paid close attention to how Adena was holding up. There was no sign of nausea, like Pepper had said there would be, but she did look tired, and even though she steadily ate her way through her meal, it was at a slightly slower pace than usual. Steve immediately knew that they wouldn't be doing anything the rest of today; he'd take her back home and let her rest as much as she needed.

Several times during their lunch, the waitress came by, asking if their food was alright. Steve remembered her from his previous visits, and how she had thrown him pointed looks occasionally. One old man seated next to his table had bluntly told him to ask for the girl's phone number, but at the time, Steve had been too lost in his personal depression to do anything like that.

'_I was in a really dark place back then_,' he remembered. Then Adena had come into his life, fully determined to help him learn about the world, and the rest was history. '_I don't even want to think about what I'd be doing right now, if Director Fury hadn't brought her here_.' He might still be taking his anger out on poor defenseless punching bags at the gym, still feeling frustrated and alone.

When their food was gone, Steve signaled for the check, and promptly paid it. So far, Adena had been the one paying for their meals with the card Director Fury had provided –today, he wanted to be the one to pay, as a nice gesture.

"Thanks, Cap," Adena said with a smile that warmed him from the inside out.

Getting up quickly, Steve went to offer her a hand. He could see that he'd surprised her, but Adena took his hand anyway, and thanked him as she got to her feet. He was reluctant to let go of her hand, but did it so that she could pick up her handbag. As they left the café's premises, he saw the waitress throw a disappointed look in his direction.

'_I guess she really was interested in me_,' he thought, before pushing her out of his mind. There was only one girl he wanted to ask on a date, and she was walking right beside him.

And speaking of which….

"Pepper called today, on the apartment phone," he told her. "She wanted to know if the two of us were willing to join her and Tony on a night on the town."

Adena looked surprised, then excited. "That sounds like fun," she said enthusiastically. "I hope you said yes. Maybe we'll go see a Broadway musical, or go to the theater for the ballet or something."

"Well, she suggested dinner before that," he said.

She only looked more excited. "Both sound great. And it's a good thing we got you a nice suit for the occasion, too, because you're going to need it!"

Steve could only smile as she began chattering about the different shows they could possibly go see, and how she wished she'd thought about taking him to a musical before this. He listened with one ear, as his thoughts went to what she might wear to a night out in the city –he'd never seen her dressed up before, and he was very much looking forward to seeing Adena at her best.

Yes, tomorrow was definitely going to be interesting!

* * *

AN: Okay, I'm mean for putting off their date until next chapter, but I wanted to go slow and make it more believable.


	13. A Night Out

Disclaimer: Sadly, I own nothing related to Marvel, either the comics, movies, TV shows, etc. All of that belongs to the Disney Corporation (though I might try kidnapping Captain America and Hawkeye some day, just for fun).

AN: So, the restaurant in this chapter is something I made up, plain and simple. If it resembles an actual place in NYC, I swear that it's by sheer coincidence. Enjoy, and please don't forget to review!

**Chapter 13: A Night Out:**

Although a night out in New York sounded fantastic, and any girl in her right mind would be thrilled to be treated to such an event, I was busy freaking out.

Actually, it was a bit more complicated than that, because I had so many different thoughts and feelings running through me, it was dizzying.

First of all, I was excited about going to a fancy place to eat, and seeing a live performance somewhere. Anyone would be excited about that, and if you added in the fact that Tony Stark would not only be hanging out with you the whole night, but also be footing the bill, that only made it better.

On the down side of this, I didn't have anything I felt was appropriate to wear. I'd been out shopping only twice since I'd moved to the Big Apple, and one of those times had been for me. Unfortunately, that one trip to the mall did not include me purchasing a formal outfit, and I hadn't brought any kind of suitable outfit from home, where the rest of my stuff still sat in storage.

Panic began settling in after Cap and I returned from lunch. While he went to his room to read for a bit, I began rummaging through my closet, desperately searching for anything that would be perfect for tonight.

After an hour of digging, I came up empty. Most of my clothes were casual, and even if I did try to dress them 'up,' they still wouldn't be good enough for tonight. Any elegant outfits had been left with the rest of my stuff in storage –I seriously hadn't thought that Cap and I would be taking evenings out like this for a while, and felt I'd at least have time to go out and buy something in a pinch. My jewelry was here, of course, since no woman would ever move without taking her gems, but clothing was a major issue.

Just as I was starting to think that I'd better race out for a quick shopping trip, there was a knock on my door. I called for Cap to enter, and had to smile at the horrified look on his face when he peeked inside and saw the condition of my room.

"What happened?" he asked, referring to the piles of clothes scattered everywhere. "It looks like a tornado went through here!"

"I'm just trying to find something to wear," I explained, looking around the room. "Sadly, I don't have much to work with."

He gave me a sympathetic smile and stepped into the room, a large box in his hands. "Well, maybe this will make you feel better. A delivery man just left this for you, and from the card on the top, I think it might be from Pepper Potts."

I couldn't help it; I let out a cry of relief as I swiped the box from him. "Okay, no peeking," I firmly told him, tightly hugging the box. "You go get ready for tonight, and I'll do the same." I looked around my room. "After I clean up," I added, to his amusement.

Once Cap was gone, and the door was closed behind him, I took a good look at the box. It was white, and clearly one of those garment boxes that delicate clothing was placed in for transport. Around it was a wide silvery-blue ribbon, and a card on top that had my name on one side, with a short message from Pepper on the other.

_Given how busy you've been with the Captain, I thought you might need this for tonight. –Pepper_

Smiling, I opened the box and sighed with joy as I lifted the dress out.

* * *

Straightening his collar, Steve took one last look at himself and smiled. It'd been ages since he'd dressed up for some fun in the city, and in spite his resistance to modern fashions, he had to admit that it felt good putting on a simple, classic suit.

He'd been a bit stumped as to which shirt to wear with his outfit, but eventually decided on classic white, hoping that's what Adena would have chosen for him to wear. Besides, white went with everything, didn't it?

Looking at his nightstand, Steve pondered over whether he wanted to wear aftershave or not. He didn't have any cologne, but he'd never used the aftershave, either, because he never thought he'd needed it. Tonight was a special occasion, though, so maybe he should.

Picking up the bottle, Steve examined it with a bit of skepticism. This was the first time he'd actually looked at it, and part of him wondered why one of Director Fury's agents had even bothered buying this when they didn't know if he'd like it or not.

After twisting off the cap, he took a small sniff. It wasn't too bad -the smell had a bit of spice, but no sweetness. It was just the right sort of thing any man would wear, so Steve shook a little into his hand and put a little on his face. Not bad.

A few minutes later, Steve was in the living room, waiting for Adena. He had no idea what Pepper had sent her, but he had a feeling it had something to do with tonight, and that it was the reason she was taking so long to get ready.

Just as he began pacing the floor, Adena appeared, and Steve suddenly lost his ability to swallow.

The V-necked black dress was perfect on her. The soft material flowed down to her feet, hugging her in just the right places, and the soft shimmer of the fabric was both elegant and graceful. Around her waist was a gold link belt that fastened in front, the loose end of the chain dangling down to her knees. Her locket hung around her neck, the chain a shining contrast to the dark material of the dress and her flowing dark hair. Dangling from her wrist was a small black purse that sparkled with rhinestones.

Looking up at her face, Steve saw hints of color on her eyelids, and a soft shimmer on her lips. "So, how do I look?" she asked, giving a little twirl.

Taking a breath, he cleared his throat. "You look beautiful," he honestly replied, smiling at her.

Adena shyly returned the smile, her cheeks turning a pretty pink. "And you look very handsome." Then it was his turn to blush a little.

"A message for you, Miss," chimed JT, causing her to frantically pull out the little computer-phone. "Mr. Stark has sent a text, saying that he and Miss Potts are outside, waiting for you."

"Thanks, JT." Adena quickly tucked the it away and turned to look up at Steve, an excited smile on her face. "Time to go!"

The two of them headed for the door, which Steve promptly opened for her. As she passed by, Steve very much hoped that tonight went well –he'd never forgive Tony if it didn't!

* * *

On our way to the street, I discreetly gave Cap a brief, but thorough, scan while pretending to brush something off my dress. He was very handsome when he was dressed up –he'd gone with the blue suit with a white shirt, both of which went really well with his blonde hair and blue eyes.

When we reached the sidewalk, to my surprise, a beautiful stretch limo was waiting for us, and a man in a black suit with dark hair smiled as he came to open the door for us. I returned his smile with one of my own, and thanked him as Cap handed me inside.

The interior was gorgeous, but dark. Soft black leather made up the seats, and I relished the feel of it under my fingers as I moved over for Cap to sit. To my right was the bar, which had lengths of softly glowing lights that went all the way up to the ceiling, the colors of the lights changing as I watched. In the bar was a bucket of ice, with bottles of water and cans of soda stocked in a see-through fridge underneath. On shelves, I saw bottles of champagne, glass decanters with a variety of liquids inside of them, and bottles of every kind of alcohol I could imagine.

"Wow," I breathed as Cap settled next to me, his eyes darting around the vehicle to take it all in.

"Glad you like it," came a voice from the darkness to my left. A light turned on overhead, revealing Tony and Pepper, both of whom had grins on their faces and drinks in their hands. "I see you got Pepper's gift, Adena –it looks great on you. I don't know how she got your size, but I'll chalk that up to being one of those mysterious traits that women have that men can't figure out."

I laughed. Actually, Pepper and I had talk about dress sizes when she'd shown me her new outfits from Europe, so we knew each other's sizes –but I wasn't about to tell Tony or Cap that.

"It's a great dress, Pepper. You've got great taste," I told her. "Thanks so much for sending it. I was about to go crazy because I didn't have anything I could wear tonight."

"Oh, it was no trouble," she smiled while handing me a glass –she had two of them, so I guessed that one was for me. "I thought that might be the case, given how things have been going for you; so I decided a bit of 'insurance' would be a good idea."

Taking the glass in one hand, I ran my free one over the material of the dress. It was very soft, but not silk or satin, and it definitely wasn't velvet, either. Whatever this dress was made of, it was soft and comfortable, and didn't require me to squeeze into it, which was a blessing. The belt was adjustable, too, for comfort. This was a dress that could be fashionable and practical, just like Pepper.

"I'm glad you like it," she said, causing me to look up at her. "I figured it was your style when I first saw it in the store yesterday, when I was shopping for mine."

That said, I had to look her over. Tonight, Pepper was in a beaded, shimmering dark green dress that went well with her flowing red-blonde hair and fair complexion. Tony wore a black suit and raised a glass to me and Cap, as though asking us to drink together.

"Care to join us, Rogers?" he asked Cap. "I know it won't affect you, but this stuff is pretty sweet, for champagne. You might like it, but if not, we've got soda you can help yourself to."

Cap accepted a glass of champagne and the four of us _clinked_ glasses before sipping. Tony was right about the taste of the champagne –sweet, bubbly, and only a hint of that bitter alcohol aftertaste. However, I made sure to pace myself, since I didn't want another hangover.

"So, where are we heading?" I asked. "Or are we playing it by ear?"

"Nope, we've definitely got a plan," Tony assured me. "Fancy dinner; some drinking; a nice show on Broadway. It should be fun."

For a while, the four of us sat and sipped champagne as we drove around the streets of New York, chatting about whatever popped into our heads. Tony and Pepper talked about how well things were going at Stark Industries, while I informed them of my progress with Cap. Actually, I mostly told them how smart Cap was and that he was very quick and intelligent.

"He may not understand certain things at first, but after I explain them to him, he gets it," I said, smiling fondly at my 'student,' who looked a little embarrassed at my praise. "He's also extremely good at not complaining about things too much, whether he's frustrated or not."

Cap covered up his embarrassment by taking a drink from his glass, so he didn't reply. Tony looked like he was going to say something snarky, but Pepper elbowed him in the stomach, stopping him. Talk then turned to how the city was recovering from Loki's failed invasion, and about the great amount of repairs that'd been done.

By the time we got to the restaurant, we were all hungry and eager to get some dinner. To my surprise, Tony and Pepper had chosen a steakhouse which happened to be one of the most expensive and exclusive places in town –and in a place like NYC, that's saying a lot!

Of course, because of Tony, we were shown right to a table, which happened to be in a back corner, with a semi-sheer black curtain to give a semblance of privacy. The furnishings were beautiful redwood, and the table was larger than usual for a table for four, but it left room for the small candles and miniature bouquet of fresh flowers in the center. Walking around the table to a chair, I noticed that the chairs were cushioned with supple black leather, and quite comfortable

Ever the gentleman, Cap went to pull out my chair while our host did the same for Pepper. As I took my seat, I turned and smiled my thanks up at Cap while he gently pushed the chair in. Those blue eyes of his met mine and then, for a split second, I felt as though I couldn't breathe. My heart jumped into my throat, and I swear the entire restaurant could hear my struggle to swallow it back down.

"So, I hope the two of you like beef," Tony commented as he took his seat.

His words snapped me back to reality, and as I accepted a menu from our host, I felt as though my cheeks were on fire. In the dim light of the restaurant, I hoped that nobody noticed my blush.

"Well, it's a bit late for us to say anything now, isn't it?" I jokingly replied, scanning the menu as Cap took his own chair.

"Not necessarily," Tony said. Even though I didn't look up from my perusing of dinner options, I could hear him smiling as he spoke. "You could always head out. I think there are a few nice food carts around the corner."

"Not likely," I retorted, keeping my eyes focused on the menu. "Give up a perfectly good meal that you're paying for? Never gonna happen!"

Cap and Pepper laughed as Tony pretended to look offended. "I knew it! You only like me for my money!" he sighed. "Well, that and my good looks and good company, of course."

I had to roll my eyes. "Well, duh! Why else would people want to hang out with you? Besides to hopefully see your metal suit, I mean."

Everyone chuckled at that, and conversation turned towards deciding on what we wanted to eat. Since I'd been to fancy steakhouses before (on a special occasion or two), I sort of knew what to expect from a place like this. Everything was a la carte, so we had to order each thing individually: a steak for each of us, plus a group of side dishes for us to share, and possibly desserts.

After quietly explaining the concept to Cap, he looked things over and seemed shocked at the price of each item. He didn't understand why sides weren't included with the price of the steak, so I had to explain how the level of quality (and possibly quantity) affected how much everything cost at a restaurant like this.

"High-end steakhouses like this get the absolute best cuts of beef, which is expensive," I told him. "The side dishes are more than just a small potato –the baked potatoes are the size of footballs, and the macaroni and cheese is mixed with truffle oil, a single bottle of which is _very_ expensive. Thus, the higher prices."

Cap didn't like it, but after I reminded him that Tony was paying, he relaxed enough to look things over more thoroughly. It was clear that he was overwhelmed with the numerous cuts of beef, and how they could be cooked to preference, so he asked me for a bit of help. I suggested a few that I thought he would like, but he eventually decided to get whatever meat I was.

"Filet mignon," I ordered when the server came to take our orders. "Cooked medium, please, with a baked potato and creamed spinach on the side."

When Cap's turn came, he ordered the filet, but with mashed potatoes and green beans. Tony ordered the ribeye steak, while Pepper went with the petite filet. Tony then declared that they should bring out one of each side dish on the menu, so that we could try them all, and that any leftovers would go home with me and Cap. From the look of the menu, there would be _a lot_ of leftovers!

"Wait, no appetizers?" Tony asked, halting the server. "Come on, guys! Order something you'd never get otherwise. Don't be shy!"

Cap and I exchanged hesitant looks. Even though it _was_ Tony's money, I knew the limits of my stomach, and from the way Tony was going, it was like he was trying to order the entire menu!

Of course, Tony seemed to know what I was thinking, because he promptly ordered the oysters and shrimp cocktails all around. The shrimp was fine; oysters, however, combined with the champagne that Tony _also_ ordered, made me feel like he was really pushing the aphrodisiacs and alcohol.

'_It's almost like we're on a double date or something_,' a small voice in my head whispered as I went to pick up a shrimp from the glass goblet in front of me.

For a second, my hand froze in midair. No, that couldn't be right -it was a stupid idea. Tony naturally loved spending money; the food was expensive as hell; he and Pepper were friends; and they'd invited me and Cap out for the night as friends. That's all there was to it –nothing more. I tried to relax and enjoy the appetizers.

As the champagne was poured out, I began to get a feeling of sadness, because a very small part of me really did wish that tonight was exactly what I wanted it to be: a date with Cap, as well as two friends.

It might have been unconscious, but perhaps that small, depressed part of me who longed for a date with Cap got the best of me. I thought that might be the case after my third or fourth glass of champagne in a row, so I tried to stop as best I could.

Unfortunately, I got to thinking about Cap and how thoughtful he'd been when taking care of me during my hangover. It had been a strange twist of roles between us, and I couldn't help but smile a tiny bit as those memories only fed the crush I was trying to suppress.

To take my mind off of my growing feelings – bad feelings, bad! – I tried to focus on the food, which really was delicious. The shrimp cocktail was fresh, the oysters sweet and flavorful; the steak was perfect, with no gristle whatsoever; and the side dishes were delicious all on their own.

But in my semi-depressed state, I'd lost count of how many glasses of champagne I'd drunk with each course, and that's when things started to get fuzzy…

* * *

"I think she's drunk," Steve whispered to Tony, while Pepper sat chatting with a fairly intoxicated Adena. "I knew I shouldn't have let her have so much champagne!"

Meanwhile, Tony looked torn between worry and amusement. "Yeah, I didn't expect that. You might want to take her home after dinner; I don't think she'll be good for a show after this."

Steve immediately felt guilty. "I'm sorry about that. I know those tickets had to cost a lot."

Tony just gave a soft chuckle. "Not really. I'm a donor to the arts programs, so I get free stuff tickets and stuff all the time. Don't worry; we can go another time, when the drinks _aren't_ flowing. You take your girl home, and I'll have Pepper arrange a new date night, maybe for you and Adena _alone_."

A date with Adena, just the two of them? "Is that a good idea?" he asked Tony nervously.

The other man rolled his eyes. "Rogers, it's obvious the girl likes you. From what Pepper says, Adena's a person who doesn't drink much in the first place, but this is the second night she's gotten drunk. Adena clearly has a crush on you, and if you don't act, she might just become an alcoholic."

That was when the joking look on Tony's face changed to something serious, even stern. "You need to man up and ask the girl out on a date. Come clean with how you feel if you have to, but do it soon. Pepper and I don't like seeing her like this, and I don't think you do, either."

No, he didn't. So maybe it was time for him to get a bit of courage and do what he both wanted and needed to.

* * *

Getting Adena home was simple –she was remarkably cheerful and cooperative as they put her in the car for the ride home. Cap found it a mixture of endearing, funny, and worrisome, because he knew she would be feeling horrible tomorrow morning. He was already making a list of things to leave by her bed before he went to sleep tonight.

When they got home, Tony wished them a good night, while Pepper told Steve she'd keep in touch about how Adena was doing. He nodded, and closed the limo door before scooping Adena up in his arms to carry her.

"Cap, what are you doing?" she asked, her words slightly slurred. "I can walk!"

"No, you can't," he told her gently as he carried her to the elevator. "And even if you could, I wouldn't let you." To emphasize his point, Steve held her firmly against him, determined to keep her there even if she tried to fight to get free.

To his complete surprise, Adena did the opposite of what he expected. Rather than try and squirm away, she leaned her head against his chest with a sigh of contentment.

"You smell nice," she murmured, closing her eyes. "I didn't know you had cologne."

"I don't," he managed to say through his surprise. "It's just aftershave."

"Hmm," she replied. "Well, it smells nice -a wonderful scent for a wonderful guy like you."

Somehow, Steve's feet managed to get the two of them to the apartment door, where he was forced to set Adena down so that he could unlock it. Not that they really needed to lock up in a secured SHIELD building, but it was a good idea, just in case.

"You're such a great guy, Cap," Adena drawled as he picked her up again. "You really could have any girl you wanted. You might not believe it, but it's true. Any girl in her right mind would love to date a nice, sweet, thoughtful man like Steve Rogers."

Then she looked a bit sad. "Trust me, I know," she said, right before she passed out.

He almost dropped her as she said that. So she _did_ like him!

Steve shook his head to clear it a bit. Now was not the time to say or plan anything; he needed to get Adena to bed. Tomorrow, he'd figure things out!

Setting her on top of the bed, he tucked her in by simply folding her bed's comforter over her, keeping her warm and comfortable for the night. Her dress might be wrinkled, but a dry cleaner or iron could fix that.

As she slept, Steve quickly fixed up another tray, with a covered pitcher filled with ice (so that the water would stay cool longer), a glass, and a bottle of aspirin. He also included a deep bowl, in case she got sick and didn't make it to the bathroom in the morning.

His task done, Steve headed to his room. As he undressed, he felt a mixture of joy and anxiety. Had Adena really meant what she said about him? She clearly admired the kind of man he was, and from what Tony had said, she clearly was attracted to him.

'_Tony's right_,' Steve said to himself, though he could hardly believe he was admitting that. '_I need to just ask her on a date_.'

Tomorrow, though. Tonight, he needed to try and get as much sleep as he possibly could –which probably won't be easy, with thoughts of Adena floating through his head.

His final thought before falling asleep was, '_I guess it was a good night, after all_.'

* * *

AN: A longer chapter this time! Yay! I hope that everyone enjoyed it. And we'll have a long-awaited appearance in the next chapter! (grins) Please be kind and review?


	14. Twisted Plots

Disclaimer: Sadly, I own nothing related to Marvel, either the comics, movies, TV shows, etc. All of that belongs to the Disney Corporation (though I might try kidnapping Captain America and Hawkeye some day, just for fun).

AN: So, for all you Loki fans out there, this chapter deals entirely with Loki and what happened after he left after the Avengers movie. But don't worry; Adena and Cap will be in the next chapter! In the meantime, please enjoy yourselves, and review. Thanks!

**Chapter 14: Twisted Plots:**

Locked within his prison, Loki stared out the barricaded window of his cell. Below him were hundreds of feet of empty air, to make escaping impossible if he were to somehow pry the bars loose.

In the distance he could see the outlines of the city, and the view was breathtaking, even from here –there was no ugliness on Asgard, no matter where one looked. Countless millennia had led to this beautifully crafted world, and no doubt everyone thought it perfect. People walked to their destinations along streets that had pillars, trees, or buildings on either side, all of them happy and contented with their lots in life.

Loki hated every one of them.

He knew that he had only been here a few months, but it still felt like an eternity. He boiled inside, knowing how close he'd come to conquering Earth, and yet, somehow, those insignificant mortals had completely defeated his army and saved their world. It was enough to send him into a rage, but sadly, there wasn't anything he could throw –at least, not in _this_ room.

Sneering down at the world below, he turned and looked at his prison. Others might think him fortunate; instead of being put to death for his crimes, or left to starve and perish on another world, he'd been given a set of rooms in the palace to hold him for a very long time.

But this place was nothing compared to what he'd had as a Prince of Asgard: the furniture here was simple and functional, but that was all, as it had no finely engraved decorations on it, nor was any of it inlaid with gold or fine metals. There was also a bare minimum of items as well, with only a large bed, two or three chairs, two tables, and a heavy dresser to hold his plain clothing.

A growl formed in his throat. How humiliating, to be a prisoner in the palace and forced to wear the same, dull clothing every day! Many said that the All-Father had been beyond merciful and kind in sparing his disgraceful son; Loki sometimes wished that he'd been killed instead.

* * *

His return to Asgard had left a foul taste in his mouth from the very moment they departed Earth. The last satisfying thing he had seen when leaving that world had been the sight of his enemy, the Soldier called Captain America, glaring at him as Loki tried to search out Adena's eyes. Although the young woman had ignored him completely, Loki still got the satisfaction of seeing how irritated the Captain had been when he'd tried getting her attention.

Originally, Loki thought about making an escape during his travel through the portal created by the Tesseract, but such a thing was not possible, not at the speed he and Thor had been traveling. It would most likely have caused Loki's death, and that was a price too high for him to pay just then. And besides, he had wanted to see what sort of greetings and punishments awaited him in the All-Father's throne room.

They landed inside the palace, since the chamber of the Rainbow Bridge was no longer in existence. There, waiting upon his throne, sat the one whom Loki had once considered a father, gazing down upon him with an expression of sadness, anger, guilt, and resignation. There was no smile or even a kindly spark in his lone blue eye.

Beside the throne stood his mother, who looked as though she were torn between wanting to lecture Loki about his behavior; and embracing him as the son she had thought lost. At that moment, for one flicker of a second, Loki had wanted that embrace –he wanted to be held close and comforted by her as he'd been as a child, when he'd done something wrong and been punished for it.

But the longing passed, and was replaced with a deep coldness.

Beside him, Thor forced him to kneel at the foot of the dais, one hand on his shoulder as the other removed the humiliating muzzle that had been strapped over his mouth, preventing him from casting any spells upon the pitiful mortals.

Freed of his gag, he allowed himself a tiny smirk. "Father," he greeted. "Mother."

"Loki," Odin replied coldly.

There was a moment of silence, where not a sound could be heard but for their breathing. Finally, Odin spoke again.

"You have committed many heinous acts since your departure from Asgard," he stated. "I do not know how you survived that dreaded day, or what you have seen during your travels, but it is clear they have taken their toll."

"You know nothing of what I've seen," Loki growled, staring at the golden steps that led up to the throne.

Odin sighed heavily. "No, I do not," he admitted, a touch of sadness in his voice. "But I do know that they had a great and terrible influence on your mind and spirit. These are things that cannot be easily healed, but perhaps, in time-"

"I do not need healing!" Loki snapped. "All that was showed to me was that I was meant to be a king! I am the son of the King of the Frost Giants –I was born to rule, and had my army succeeded, Earth would have been _my_ realm!"

"It would not," Thor firmly told him. "Not while I draw breath."

Loki would have said something in that regard, but the All-Father slammed his staff upon the floor, the ringing sound silencing them and causing even Loki to look fully upwards at the ruler of Asgard.

"Enough!" Odin declared. "Loki, your crimes against those here in Asgard, and also on Earth, are enough to banish you to your death upon another world, one where you would suffer immense hunger, thirst, and misery before you perished."

As Frigga made to step forward in protest, Odin raised his hand. "However, because of our love for you, as well as the hope that you will one day return to the way you once were, I will imprison you here in Asgard with the finest healers of the mind and spirit. Here you will stay until we feel better about you."

At that, Thor stepped forward and put his hand firmly on Loki's shoulder, prompting him to his feet. As he was led to his imprisonment, Loki knew there was no way to escape this punishment…at least, not at that moment.

* * *

Pacing his room, Loki could only sneer in contempt at the walls that sometimes seemed to close in. But he could not leave the room without a ring of guards surrounding him, preventing him from leaving the confines of the palace.

The walls hadn't always been so unfriendly to him. At first, it had been trivial to sleep in a comfortable bed, eat the fine food brought to him by the guards, and toy with the healers sent to "help" with Loki's "conditions." Books and scrolls had been brought to him for entertainment, and occasionally, he was allowed to watch the court entertainers in the banquet hall (from a distance, of course).

But all too soon, being locked away began to take its toll. He was not allowed to leave the palace under any circumstances, not even for a walk in the gardens. The healers came to see him twice a day, but he spurned their efforts to 'cure' him of the darkness he now possessed. Loki was no longer the good obedient son, a second shadow to the glorious Thor.

'_No_,' he thought with a smirk. '_I am so much more now_!'

But no one could be allowed to know that –if they did, they would only try harder to keep him prisoner, and that would destroy all of his plans.

With careful patience, Loki bided his time, pretending to do everything that was expected of him, and raising no suspicions. However much he wished he could lose his temper with it all, it was important that no one guess his true motives for going along with the All-Father's command. Loki ate what was brought to him, read harmless-looking things from the palace library, and went through the motions with the healers, pretending to be interested in their work when he would rather throw them through the walls. Many thought his efforts genuine, and it was important that they do so, for every week that passed without him attempting escape, the watch kept on him weakened.

It took a great deal of restraint to keep from laughing at the foolishness of having so many guards standing outside his rooms. Really, the All-Father should have known better than that! Loki had grown up in the palace, and knew every inch of it –he had walked every hall, every corridor, and knew what rooms lay around every corner. While Thor had spent centuries at work in the training yards, learning to become a warrior, Loki had traveled to each and every room in the palace, memorizing where everything was, and how to get in and out of them. He very much doubted that anyone else knew the palace like he did, especially when his mind held a detailed map of it all.

Another miscalculation on everyone's part was that they assumed that Heimdall and Odin could see and know _everything_ Loki did. It was true that both had great power that Loki envied, but he had not studied magic for centuries in vain! The things he learned through experimentation and skill were great, and the anger and resentment growing and eating at him only fueled his determination to become the most powerful sorcerer in Asgard.

Picking up a decorative stone in his palm, Loki squeezed it tightly in his hand. Almost in spite of himself, he was glad that someone had recently added it to his living quarters, if only so he had something he could try and crush when his anger and impatience almost overtook him.

He had never fully belonged here, even if he had been seen as a son of the King. The people of Asgard valued physical strength and bravery –if that's what you call charging head-first idiotically into battle. Loki was not broad in shoulders or able to lift great weights, like Thor –his skills lay in the mind, and even though it had made him look weak in the eyes of Odin's subjects, _that_ was how he had become a master of mischief and magic. It was with these tools that he would break free of his confines and take what was his. He was the son of a king, and as such, he deserved a world of subjects.

And there was one particular subject that he wanted, one that often lingered in the corner of his mind.

'_Ah, sweet Adena_,' he thought, hiding a smirk as a servant brought his meal.

He didn't know why she attracted him the way she did. She was not beautiful, by his standards at the least –her face did not enchant him, though she _did_ have a very shapely form.

Adena was not of great importance, either –he knew that she wasn't the daughter of a significant leader of Earth, or of any personage with power. If she had been, Loki would have easily understood his interest in her, because power always drew him.

But her only claim towards significance was the mere fact that she was well-liked by everyone in that sorry group of heroes called The Avengers. For some reason, they all thought her part of their group, and were willing to do anything to keep her safe. It as a weakness of theirs, one that Loki planned to exploit as soon as he was able.

But why did she draw him so? There had been something in her eyes when he had first seen her, a sort of brightness that shone from inside her very being. But what was it?

One answer came to him: perhaps it was the glow of her essence that drew him.

Loki knew that everyone was born with a tiny fleck of darkness in them, and that it only grew as the person grew older. For those who were good, the darkness was confined and ignored, or it was fully conquered as the person gave themselves over to the side of good.

In Adena, Loki had no doubt that the darkness inside him was drawn by the gentleness that she practically radiated. Adena was a force of good, with a fierce determination to do whatever possible to help others who needed it. She was warm with friendship and gentleness, but also fiery in spirit. Her eyes sparkled with good, honest humor, with no hint of malice or the desire to harm another for the sake of laughter.

Smiling, Loki put down the stone in his hand and closed his eyes. Others might believe he wanted her so that she could 'save' him from the dark evil that he allowed to grow inside him. They would be wrong. The darkness inside him wanted Adena so that it could taint and corrupt her.

'_Wouldn't it be wonderful, to turn her so that she favored me and my cause_?'

Oh, that would be amusing! And to watch the faces of her precious Avengers as they saw their friend change from a force of good to a life of cold brutality! The mere thought of it almost had Loki laughing out loud.

As he opened his eyes, he listened carefully to sounds coming from the hallway. It was the changing of the guards, which meant he would be without someone looking in on him for quite some time. Perhaps he should risk a bit of practice with his magic.

If he chose, Loki could send part of his consciousness or spirit elsewhere, invisibly, so that he could spy on anyone he chose, either on Earth or in Asgard. Not many, if any, knew of his ability –the one time he had done it to check on the banished Thor, his 'brother' had thought it as part of the power of being King of Asgard. What he didn't know was that it was Loki's skill alone, not something to be given and taken away.

Now he sent his mind towards Earth. He had not done this since his imprisonment here began, and he was eager to see what he had missed during that time.

* * *

Since Tony Stark was regarded as a man of knowledge, and he was able to discover valuable information on anyone he wished, Loki decided to listen in on his conversations first.

Invisible to the mortal eye, Loki let himself linger in the room, ears and eyes open.

This fine evening, Stark was speaking to a lovely woman with red-blonde hair. The two looked smitten with each other, and their disgustingly open shows of affection were almost enough to drive Loki to give up his intentions –almost.

"So, how do you think it went tonight?" the woman asked.

"Not too bad," Stark replied, picking up a fruit from a basket. "Even though Adena got a little too tipsy, I'd say it was a successful date for them both."

The woman smiled. "Yeah, they are pretty cute together. I'm glad we managed to get them out for an evening. Maybe in the next day or two, we can take them to a show? I think Adena would like it, and Captain Rogers would, too."

"Yeah, it'll give them a chance to spend some time together with us, and thousands of other people, in the dark," Stark sarcastically remarked. "I think we need some desperate romantic measures to get those two alone together. I suggest putting them in a locked room until one of them blurts out their feelings; that would take care of problem, and fast."

Loki blinked in surprise as the two laughed and left the room. The Soldier was in love with Adena? He would have laughed, if he didn't already feel as though he wanted to slaughter something.

Returning to his body in his rooms, Loki rose from his chair and began to pace. As he went from one side of the room to the other, he decided that, after months of pretending, it was time to act.

* * *

Sitting upon his bed, his eyes fixed on the metal wash bowl in front of him, Loki focused his thoughts and magic upon the water that rippled there. Scrying had never been a skill of his, but if he was careful, he would succeed in what he was attempting to do.

Overhearing the conversation between Tony Stark and his female companion had stirred a curiosity within him. Now he wanted to know everything he had missed during his imprisonment, and that included what was happening on Earth –though namely with Adena.

Gritting his teeth, Loki focused his mind intensely on the water bowl. He wanted to know exactly when the Captain had become attracted to Adena, and how the whole thing had started. Once he knew that, he would find a way to stop it.

Staring at the still water, he saw images begin to form before his eyes.

At first, none of the images made sense, but soon, Loki managed to deduce what he was seeing. Many showed Adena and the Captain walking, talking, laughing, and dining together; the two of them clearly getting along well and enjoying themselves. From the way the Captain hovered over her, it was clear that he regarded himself as her protector.

Looking closer and studying their actions, Loki could clearly see how things were developing between them. While it was true that males and females could be close friends, at least in Asgard, it was obvious that the connection between Steve Rogers and Adena had changed into something deeper. Their closeness had begun as friendship and mutual respect, but now it was shifting towards love.

'_Not that they realize it's love_,' Loki thought, as he watched a scene where the two blushed at something the other said.

Loki couldn't hold back a sneer while the water cleared. It was obvious that neither had stated their feelings for one another yet, but it was only a matter of time before that happened. When it did, he knew that obtaining Adena for himself would be impossible –love was one of the most powerful forces in the universe, and turning her towards his own dark cause would never happen once her heart belonged to a good and noble man.

'_Which means I will have to act soon; very soon_.'

But he hadn't been idle during his imprisonment –his mind had been working furiously on a way to escape Asgard without detection, and with his knowledge of the palace and the guards, it would be no trouble.

But what was he to do once he left? He had no army, and no allies to aid him in any plan he might formulate; the ones he had dealt with before would sooner kill him than help. So that left him with what?

He thought a moment as the bowl shimmered a little before revealing an answer to his dilemma. Grinning widely, he dispelled the image and rose to his feet. Time to get to work; he had unfinished business on Earth.

* * *

AN: Review?


	15. Revelations

Disclaimer: Sadly, I own nothing related to Marvel, either the comics, movies, TV shows, etc. All of that belongs to the Disney Corporation (though I might try kidnapping Captain America and Hawkeye some day, just for fun).

AN: Finally, date night for Cap and Adena! Well, sort of. Anyway, please enjoy, and don't forget to review!

PS: To all those who are serving or have served in the U.S. armed forces: a big thank-you for all you've done for your country and for the American people.

**Chapter 15: Revelations:**

After waking up to bright sunlight, I realized that I now knew the true meaning of the word 'hangover.' This is because, after regaining consciousness and making a mad dash for the bathroom, I spent a good half hour hanging over the side of the toilet, spewing my guts out. Even worse, I had no idea what happened last night. I remembered a great dinner, drinking more than my share of champagne, and passing out. Everything else was a blur.

As I tried to keep my stomach on the _inside_ of my body, I silently prayed that I hadn't done anything stupid the night before. As terrible as I felt right now, the mere thought that I might have embarrassed myself in front of Cap was even more unbearable than this.

A knock on the door distracted me for a brief second, right before dread hit me. "Cap?" I managed to weakly call.

"Adena?" he replied, his tone full of worry. "Are you alright? Do you need anything?"

Swallowing hard, I was able to answer, "I'm okay," though it probably didn't sound convincing.

"No, you're not," Cap said firmly. "Can I come in?"

By then, my stomach was utterly empty, so I flushed the toilet and called for him to enter. As he walked in, Cap quietly retrieved a washcloth from the towel rack, moistened it in the sink, and knelt beside me, his hands gently wiping my face. The cool water felt so heavenly, I had to sigh in relief.

"You look terrible," he joked, causing me to smile.

"Thanks," I whispered. "That's exactly what I needed to hear right now."

Cap chuckled. "Come on, I'll help you back to bed."

Too nauseous to nod, I let him help me up and lead me back to bed. In a moment of déjà vu, I spotted a pitcher of water with a glass and a bottle of aspirin waiting for me on the bedside table. Cap shook out two aspirin, poured a glass of water, and had me take both. After two more glasses of water, I felt semi-human again, but still pretty gross.

"What happened?" I asked, wincing as I lay back in bed, propped up against some pillows. "It's all kind of fuzzy."

Cap took a seat on the bed, a very amused glint in his blue eyes. "You drank too much," he said simply. "I helped you upstairs and put you to bed."

There was something in his face, though, that told me there was more to the story than he was telling, and that made me nervous. "Cap? Is there something you aren't telling me?" I cautiously asked, dreading the answer. I swear, if he said that I'd thrown up on him while he carried me, I'd die the second he finished his sentence.

He blushed a little and cleared his throat. "Well," he slowly replied, "You basically said I was a wonderful guy who deserved a great girl."

My stomach felt like it'd been filled with a cold, thousand-pound weight. '_Oh, my God. Did I confess how I feel about him_?' I thought, beginning to panic. I swallowed hard and looked down at my hands, which were in my lap. "Did I say anything else?" I asked, trying to decide if I wanted to know the answer or not.

I had to swallow as Cap reached out and took one of my hands in his. "Not in so many words," he replied, gently squeezing my fingers. It was oddly comforting, even though my heart rate went up a little. "You did imply something, even if you don't remember."

Oh, God, I'd said it –I'd said I liked him. Now it was time to face the music, and I had no idea how to do it! Should I say it straight out, or stumble my way into it?

I stared at my bed sheets. "Uh…" Okay, stumble it was!

The grip he had on my hand tightened a little. "I feel the same way," he whispered.

My gaze immediately shot up to meet his eyes. "Huh?" was all I could manage to say, since my tongue decided to glue itself to the roof of my mouth. Wow, wasn't I the articulate one today?

The smile Cap gave me wasn't patronizing, or pitying, or anything that said that he was humoring me. It was a genuine, caring smile that warmed me right down to my toes and melted the weight that had settled in my stomach.

"I'm not very experienced when it comes to talking to women, Adena," he said, looking down at our joined hands. "But you've managed to change some of that for me. I feel more comfortable with you than any other girl I've met, and even though we're friends, I would like to be something a little…more."

It was suddenly hard to swallow again, but somehow, I managed to say, "I'd like that, too, Cap."

Those kind blue eyes of his looked up at me with hope. "Then I guess that means you'll go on a date with me?" he asked shyly.

My heart leaped excitedly in my chest, and even though my head still hurt like mad, I began to smile. "Yes, Cap, I'll go out with you."

He let out a relieved breath. "How about tonight?" he asked. "Pepper called a little while ago, and wanted to know if we'd like to go see something on Broadway with her and Tony."

A show on Broadway with Cap and our two friends sounded perfect, and almost like a double date. That, of course, got my brain going a little, and I had to look up at him with a little suspicion. "Was last night some kind of subtle attempt at a double date?" I asked, eyeing him closely.

His blush pretty much answered that question, even before Cap said anything. "Yes," he admitted. "I didn't know if you'd agree to a date with me, so on the night we had dinner at his place, I asked Tony for help."

I wasn't sure I heard right. "_You_ asked _Tony Stark_ for dating tips?" I asked incredulously, all traces of my hangover vanishing for a split second. "He's, like, the complete opposite of you when it comes to dealing with women! Why would you go to him for something like this?"

In spite of his embarrassment, Cap actually looked a little amused. "That's part of why I asked him for help. He's a lot like his father: a charmer with the ladies. I thought he'd be able to help me find a way to ask you on a date without embarrassing myself too badly."

Oh, I couldn't _wait_ to hear what Tony had said to him! "And…?" I said, waiting for him to continue.

Cap shrugged. "He told me I wouldn't be able to pull off anything he might suggest," he replied, startling me. "He also said to just ask you out."

Yeah, that last part sounded like Tony, though I had to give him points for not giving Cap any pointers. With someone who was the complete opposite of himself, Tony had actually used his brain _and_ common sense (a rarity, from what I knew and heard about him), and given good advice.

"Well, I guess I should thank him for that," I conceded, "But still, _promise_ me that you will _never_ ask Tony Stark for any more tips on women, okay?"

Cap laughed. "I promise. Now, go back to sleep. I'm sure Pepper will be thrilled that we're going out tonight."

I smiled when he said 'going out.' It sounded kind of official, and I knew Pepper would be over-the-moon when Cap told her that this was going to be a real, serious double date between the four of us.

"I'll have something for you to eat when you wake up," Cap said as he released my hand and got to his feet, a warm smile on his face.

"Thanks, Cap." Lying back down on my bed, I returned his smile with one of my own. "I'm really looking forward to tonight."

Closing my eyes, I vaguely heard him reply, "Me, too, Adena."

* * *

I woke around noon, and as soon as I was conscious, I began wondering if the conversation I'd had with Cap had been a dream. It really was too incredible, that the guy I'd had a crush on since I was a child actually liked me back. But what if I'd imagined the entire thing?

'_Nope, don't think that_,' I lectured myself as I swung my feet over the edge of the bed.

Luckily, my headache and nausea were gone, but my brain felt cloudy. It was definitely time for a shower, and one of my more aromatic shower gels would definitely clear my head.

Twenty minutes later, I was cleaned up, dressed, and dried my hair. I wasn't really hungry, but I knew that I still needed to eat, so I made my way out into the apartment, only to find a surprise waiting for me on the dining room table.

At first, I thought it was a bouquet of small red roses, but looking closer, I saw they were _chocolate_ roses, wrapped in red foil and on green plastic stems. Picking one up, I unwrapped it and bit the bud off, the sweet chocolate melting on my tongue and making my senses very happy.

"Found the flowers, I see," Cap teased as he came out of the kitchen, a plate and a Coke can in his hands.

I swallowed my delectable mouthful of chocolate. "What can I say; it's a weakness of mine," I replied, setting the empty stem aside as I took a seat. "Good choice, by the way."

He flushed a little and put the plate and can in front of me. "I was going to get you real flowers, but didn't know what kind you liked," he said. "I thought the chocolates would be a better idea."

I had to smile up at him. "That's so sweet of you." I paused. "No pun intended."

Cap chuckled. "Thanks. I'm glad you like them. Now, go ahead and eat." He then turned and headed for his room, a slight swagger in his step giving away his good mood.

Lunch today was a turkey sandwich with lettuce, tomato, and mayo on white bread. There was a small helping of potato chips, too, and with the soda, I was very pleasantly full. When I was finished, I put away the dirty dish, and took the half-full soda can to my room, where I did my best to try and find JT. When I couldn't locate him, I called out, "JT, where are you?"

"Here, Miss," came the reply, somewhere close to my bed. He was still in the little dress purse I'd taken out last night, and I felt guilty about leaving him there.

Retrieving my phone, I asked if there were any messages. JT replied that my parents had called, as had Pepper and Tony, so as I drank my soda, I listened to the messages. My parents' call had to be answered ASAP, since Mom was a huge worry-wart and would think something bad had happened to me if I didn't call her back that same day. Pepper and Tony would have to wait.

After I called my folks and assured them that everything was going well for me, I dialed up Pepper. She was relieved that I was alright, and that I was relatively over my hangover.

"I was so worried," she admitted over the phone. "I hope that you got to bed okay?"

I had to smile at how caring she was. "Cap helped me upstairs, and took good care of me. I swear, if he wasn't set on being a soldier, he could be a nurse or a doctor." The image of Cap in a white coat was pretty appealing, but I thought he looked better in his uniform.

There was a brief hesitating pause on the other end. "You didn't do or say anything bad or embarrassing, did you?" Pepper tentatively asked. "I mean, people do strange things when they're drunk, and being Tony's assistant, I've pretty much seen it all."

Since I didn't want to tell her about Cap asking me out just yet, I simply replied, "Nope, nothing that wasn't quickly worked out afterwards."

Pepper seemed to sigh in relief. "Well, that's good. Anyway, Steve told me that the two of you would be joining us for a show tonight. I wasn't sure if you wanted to go out for dinner, too, especially after what happened last night. Maybe if we did without the alcohol, it would turn out better."

"Nah, let's just do the show," I replied, thinking that it might be a better idea if Cap and I dined alone tonight. "What time will you guys be here to pick us up?"

We agreed that seven o'clock was the best time, and hung up. Alone with my thoughts, I was debating about when to talk to Cap about this, when there was a knock on the door.

"You can come in," I said, smiling as he poked his head into the room. "That was Pepper. She and Tony are going to be here at seven to pick us up for a show."

He nodded. "Sounds like fun. What about dinner? Do you have something in mind?"

I thought about it. "Well, there's that nice Italian place around the corner. What do you think?"

Since Italian was a favorite of his, Cap agreed. Dinner would be a bit earlier than usual, since we had to get ready for tonight, but that was alright with the two of us. Now we just had to figure out how to burn the afternoon hours until then…

"Would you mind if talked for a while?" he asked timidly.

Oh, no. When a guy says that he wants to talk about something, it can't be good. Worry started to eat at me immediately. Was he having second thoughts about what he felt for me? Maybe he didn't want to go out with me after all, and wanted to stop things before they got started.

No, I had to stay cool about this. "About what?" I calmly asked, trying to appear collected.

"You," he replied, startling me.

"Me?" I asked in surprise. "You want to know about me? Why?"

Cap gave me an amused look. "It's only fair," he said. "You know all about me, so I want to know all about you."

He had me there. And I was so relieved that he wasn't changing his mind that I was willing to go along with it, though I quietly drew a line in my head as to what I would and wouldn't answer when he asked me questions.

"Okay, but no asking about embarrassing things," I told him.

Holding up a hand, he swore, "Scout's Honor."

Laughing, I got up and made for the living room.

* * *

Straightening his tie, Steve looked at himself in the mirror and smiled. It really was amazing to him, how easy it was to talk to Adena. He'd always had difficulty talking to women, but with her, it was different –there was no stuttering; no awkward pauses; no use of words that would either insult her or make the both of them uncomfortable.

Their hours alone had been fun, as well as informative; Steve had asked questions, and Adena had answered them, the two of them sometimes teasing or joking with each other as they chatted. Best of all, he now knew a lot more about her, such as her favorite color; her most and least favorite foods; and that even though she loved all kinds of flowers, certain types made her sneeze.

Their conversation continued over a cozy dinner out, and the whole afternoon and early evening, Steve carefully tucked away everything she told him, all the while beginning a mental strategy for how he was going to proceed while dating her.

He had to laugh a little at how love was a lot like war: it involved a lot of careful strategizing, as well as doing and saying just the right thing at the right time. One wrong move could ruin a thoroughly constructed plan, and then things could almost literally blow up in his face.

'_I'll just have to be very cautious when handling things with Adena_,' he reasoned. '_I know I'll make mistakes, and she might get mad when I do, but that's alright_.' He was willing to take a few risks.

And asking Tony and Pepper for help might be a good idea. Pepper could offer some female insight; and Tony…well, even though Steve had promised not to take advice from him, Tony might be able to suggest what kind of flowers or gifts Steve could give to Adena.

There was a knock on his door, followed by Adena calling, "Cap? Are you ready? They're here!"

Smiling, he went and opened the door. Adena was, as always, lovely in black –tonight she wore black slacks, a black blouse, and black strappy sandals on her feet. Her locket hung around her neck, and the bracelet Natasha Romanoff had given her was wrapped around one wrist; meanwhile, a watch and a small purse dangled from the other hand. A small breeze in the apartment brought a light scent to his nose, and Steve was very glad that he wore his aftershave again.

"You look beautiful," he said, earning a blush from her as she thanked him.

"You look great, too," she replied. "Oh, your tie is crooked. Hold still."

While she straightened it, Steve was relieved that he'd chosen an outfit she approved of: a black suit, with a pale grey shirt, and a lightly darker grey for the tie.

"There," she said, stepping back. "Now, time to go."

Steve offered her his arm. "Miss," he said.

A shot of warmth went through his body as her fingers gently came to rest in the crook of his elbow. That warmth grew hotter as she smiled up at him. Swallowing hollowly, Steve led her out of the apartment and out to the waiting car.

* * *

To be honest, Steve couldn't remember much about the evening after that. The show was probably interesting, since Adena had seemed to intensely interested in it –he saw her laugh, cry, and thoroughly enjoy herself, but Steve couldn't have told anyone a single detail about it.

It wasn't that he didn't like Broadway performances; his mind was simply focused on something else –namely the young woman who sat beside him. It was a lot more fun watching her facial expressions and reactions to the performance than watching what was happening onstage.

Not that she knew he was watching, of course; Steve made sure that his observed her very subtly from the corner of his eye, and that she didn't catch him looking. He doubted that she noticed; she'd been too busy watching the performance to see him glancing over.

"Wasn't that great?" she gushed as they left the theater, her hand firmly tucked in his elbow so that he couldn't lose her in the crowd. Since they were in the upper level with a private box (courtesy of Tony and Pepper), it was taking longer to head downstairs.

Tony, meanwhile, had left ten minutes earlier with Pepper, to find the limousine. "We'll call you to let you know when and where it'll be once you're outside," Pepper explained as the two headed out.

That was perfectly alright with Steve –having Adena on his arm made him feel like the luckiest guy in the theater! True, there were a lot of couples, and numerous women who were beautiful, but in Steve's opinion, Adena was more beautiful than them.

Somehow, they made it outside and found a small alcove to hide in while they waited for Tony to call them about the car. Several minutes went by, with Steve keeping his arm around Adena's waist, keeping her close.

"I think they did that on purpose," Adena muttered, surprising him.

He glanced down at her as the crowd around them began to diminish. "Why do you say that?" he asked, puzzled.

"Tony and Pepper left smiling and holding hands," she replied, a knowing glint in her eye. "I think they wanted to give us a chance to be alone together for a little while."

Steve felt himself blush a little as he realized she was right. They had been waiting a while, and the amount of people waiting for taxis or valets was down to almost nothing. Since they had Tony's personal car at their disposal, it would have been easy to get the car here in less than five minutes, rather than the twenty they'd been waiting.

Glancing down at Adena, he realized that she was blushing, too. "It might be their idea of pushing us closer together," she said. "I never told Pepper that you and I had already told each other that we wanted something more than friendship, so she and Tony are probably trying to force the issue."

He sighed. "Well, if they aren't here in a few minutes, we should call a cab."

They waited five more minutes, then decided on the taxi. As he led Adena out into the street, Steve thought he heard something coming from the alley nearby.

"Help! Please!" came a childlike cry. "Please help me!"

Adena heard it, too. "Cap, please be careful?" she pleaded as he began to head in that direction.

"I will," he promised. "But stay here, in the open, just in case." She nodded.

Glad that she would stay safe, Steve slipped silently into the alley, eyes darting around the well-lit area. There was no one there. That's when his brain immediately kicked into gear. It was a trick!

Racing back for the theater, Steve looked around and saw no sign of Adena, either in the building or anywhere nearby.

She was gone.

* * *

AN: So, I've never been to Broadway, and don't know if they have private box seats, but I thought it'd be cute. Review?


	16. Alien Abduction

Disclaimer: Sadly, I own nothing related to Marvel, either the comics, movies, TV shows, etc. All of that belongs to the Disney Corporation (though I might try kidnapping Captain America and Hawkeye some day, just for fun).

AN: Okay, in regards to Asgard and other things in this chapter, I'm making stuff up as I go along for the sake of the story, so please bear with me.

Please note: I will not be updating next week, because I'll be out of town and away from my computer. However, I promise that I'll update the following week. So, please enjoy, and don't forget to review. Thanks!

**Chapter 16: Alien Abduction:**

It was surprisingly easy to enact his plan –really, he had expected some sort of challenge before reaching Earth, but lucky for him, there was none.

With his knowledge, intelligence, and abilities, it had been trivial to escape from under the eye of his guards: he'd simply made his usual visit to the library, cloaked himself in magic to make himself invisible to all eyes, and slipped out. Not even the All-Father saw him leave!

Truthfully, he could have fled Asgard at any time he chose, but it had taken time to weaken everyone's resolve to keep an eye on him. Escaping when everyone expected it would have been foolish and only caused an even stricter punishment and imprisonment. However, buying time with patience had ensured that Odin, his guards, and those watching for Loki's antics had relaxed them to the point where mistakes could be easily taken advantage of.

After leaving the library, Loki quietly made his way to one of several secret ways out of Asgard. To his immense pride, it was a passageway that had already existed, but which he himself had elaborated on with no real purpose in mind, except to see if he could. Now it would be put to good use!

As was always the case when traveling haphazardly between realms, with no Bridge or the Tesseract to fuel a teleportation device, the journey was dizzying, draining, and nauseating. So, as anticipated, when he finally arrived on Earth, it was with a retching stomach, and after finding a quiet, isolated place to hide, he spent a good hour being sick as he attempted to gather his thoughts.

Once he'd recovered enough, Loki quickly shifted his appearance, so that he would blend in with the mortals. After that, it was trivial to find out where he was, and what was happening in the world; humans had an odd obsession with wanting to know the goings-on of their planet, and often purchased printed information that was easy to procure.

Armed with numerous stacks of these documents, Loki began plotting how he should proceed from this point. He immediately attempted to locate the allies he had made on Earth during his brief time here. True, most of the morals who'd served him had been enslaved against their wills, but there had been a fair-sized group who had happily come to serve him in their search for power and wealth, and it was those he searched for.

Unfortunately, he also knew that none of those who had joined him willingly would do so this time. When he had failed to conquer Earth and had been taken away, Loki knew that those allies would never trust him again –the only ones who would do so would want to make sure that he had a guaranteed plan of success, along with payment for their services, none of which he had.

Besides, this was more about revenge than world domination, and for that, he needed followers who would help him without question, and if he was able to reward them, would accept it in gratitude rather than greed.

Now, Loki had been sure, without question, that Nick Fury and his legion of spies and assassins had located and imprisoned many of his former allies. After all, Fury could not risk them running loose on the planet, and it was his 'duty' to protect the world from dangerous people like them. But even with all of his resources at his disposal, Loki knew that Fury could not find and capture them all. Some of them would be too clever and resourceful, and there was no doubt that at least a handful were on the loose, some still under Loki's spell.

But even if he no longer possessed his scepter, it was still simple to find the ones whose minds were still not fully their own. The scepter had been keyed to him specifically, and the power that had flowed through his body and mind had ensured that, once he was on Earth, he would sense it again and be able to trace it to whomever still held it within them. Unfortunately, it took time and effort to begin such a trace, and so he knew he had to find a secluded and abandoned building to use as his temporary shelter. It was a humiliating step down for a Prince, but necessary.

But that was when Loki's luck turned upwards a little. Making a few inquiries of the minds of people around him, he was able to find a house that had been vacated by previous owners, and it was child's play to undo the locks so that he could enter. The interior left something to be desired –there were few pieces of furniture, all of it covered with white sheets of cloth, and the air was musty from the building being closed up, but it would serve his purposes, for the moment.

Even better: one of the remaining furniture pieces was a soft, comfortable chair that was perfect for what he was about to do. So, after settling into chair and closing his eyes, Loki delved deep into his magic, searching for a trace of the scepter's lingering power.

It took some time to find what he was searching for –Earth was not a small planet, and there were so many different kinds of energies merging, overlapping, and conflicting that, if one didn't know what they were looking for, it was sure to drive you mad.

But find it he did, and to his immense satisfaction, it was not too far away from where he already was.

* * *

It did not take long for Loki to discover that this particular mortal was not one of the brightest, nor the strongest. However, the man was well-connected to both the lowly and high levels of humanity, some of whom were quite powerful and had a great many useful items at their disposal.

Using his influence on the man, Loki was able to obtain what mortals called a 'warehouse,' one which had been converted into a large and suitable living space, but now stood abandoned and empty. With some aid from this minion, this primitive place was now furnished somewhat comfortably, and stocked with food. Best of all, it was away from the chaos of the cities, where an inconvenient, curious mortal could easily and accidentally stumble upon him. Without the scepter to subject those inquisitive insects, Loki knew it would be difficult to dispose of them without causing a stir.

Now, his eager-to-please little human was able to locate for him a cache of weaponry that, though messy and pathetic compared to anything he had wielded before, would prove effective. From his previous visit to Earth, Loki knew how to use few of these, but from what he could glean from the instructions his minion provided, these weapons were so simple to use that an idiot could use them. Hopefully, he would not need them, but it was good to have them close at hand, in case.

Within a day, Loki had everything in place, his plan so simple, it could not fail. Granted, it was incomplete, but one thing at a time.

Smiling, he closed his eyes and bent his will towards his intended target.

* * *

Tracking Adena should have been simple, because he had been in her mind before and was familiar with it. He should have been able to merely close his eyes and find her immediately.

Unfortunately, that was not the case. Something within her, whether intentional or not, was creating a slippery bubble around her consciousness, making it difficult to trail Adena to her exact location. It was frustrating, but lucky for him, not impossible.

He already knew that she was in New York City, the place of the invasion, but not the place where she was _living_. He also could not simply walk the streets of the city, not when it was full of humans going about their lives –some of them might recognize him from the invasion, and if he was recognized, that would ruin everything. Stealth was needed, if he was to succeed.

After careful thought, Loki decided to magically track and observe Tony Stark's movements to Adena's location. It was clear that the wealthy, arrogant man was a friend of hers, and so it would only be a matter of time before the two met for one reason or another. When he did, Stark would unknowingly lead Loki right to her.

As luck would have it, the very night Loki had his 'eye' on Stark, the man did exactly what Loki had hoped. With the blonde woman at his side, the two went to retrieve Adena and the Soldier, Steve Rogers, for an evening out. Loki was infuriated that Adena actually lived with the man who was trying to court her, but he managed to contain his anger…barely.

Invisible to the other four, Loki watched as they sat in a private, secluded area of a theater to watch a play. He watched Steve Rogers throw admiring glances in Adena's direction, which, to his satisfaction, she was oblivious to. It was incredibly tempting to take her right then and there, but doing so would make his presence on Earth known far too soon.

When the play ended, Loki could hardly believe it when Tony Stark led his blonde lady away, leaving Adena completely alone with her own escort. They really were making things far too easy for him!

Trailing the two downstairs, then on into the streets, Loki waited for the opportune moment, and created a little scenario that Steve Rogers would find too hard to ignore: a child in trouble, calling out for help. Ah, heroes and their noble causes!

After that, it was all too easy to put a hand over Adena's mouth, preventing her from crying out while his other arm went around her waist. Then, with a large gathering of magic, they were away before the Soldier could return and save her.

However, Loki didn't see the single object that slipped from her hands to the ground.

* * *

After a search of the building and surrounding area, Steve was almost out of his mind with worry. There was no trace of Adena whatsoever, and what was worse, _no one_ had seen _anything_.

Quickly shifting into his soldier frame of mind, Steve calmed himself down and tried to think clearly. Adena was gone, and he knew that she hadn't left on her own to go back to the apartment. She wouldn't do that to him, even at her angriest, so that meant she'd been taken against her will. But by whom?

At first guess, Steve thought it might be an enemy of his, but that was unlikely. His only true enemy had been Red Skull, and he was long dead. Nazis had feared and hated Captain America, but none of them had known who the man was behind the mask. Also, any living Nazis would be too old to do something like this…at least on their own.

'_No, I doubt it_,' Steve reasoned. '_This had been too quick for mercenaries or hired professionals, even at their fastest_.'

Another guess was Loki, but he was locked away in Asgard, wasn't he? Surely, if he'd escaped, Thor would have returned to Earth to give the news. And since the skies weren't lighting up, that couldn't be it.

Out of the corner of his eye, Steve saw a faint blue light gleaming in the darkness. Curious, he went over and retrieved the object, suddenly feeling sick when he saw what it was: JT. If the computer was here, then there was no way he could track Adena!

Biting back a groan of despair, Steve looked down at the computer and said, "JT? I need you to call up Tony Stark. Tell him it's an emergency."

"Yes, sir," the device replied.

In half an hour, Tony had been told what had happened, and Steve was standing in the other man's apartment while the billionaire went to scan the area of Adena's disappearance with his Iron Man suit. Fortunately, Tony had promised to keep in touch the whole time.

"I'm getting some strange energy readings around the sidewalk," Tony said to both Steve and Pepper, who stood crowded near a large computer screen. "But that's pretty much it. And the tourists stopping to stare at me really aren't helping much."

Steve had to grin. "You, annoyed with being the center of attention? Hell must be freezing over!"

"Ha, ha," Tony mockingly replied. "But seriously, no one saw anything, and the energy readings are fading fast. I'll see you guys in a few minutes."

True to his word, Tony was back quickly, and he didn't look happy. "I know you think that Loki can't be behind this, but that might be the right idea. Given how short a time you were in the alley, and that you didn't hear a car speeding away from the theater, it had to be magic. There were no signs of anyone propelling down the side of the building, or going up; and no one saw her go inside. It was like she vanished right where she was standing, right under everybody's nose, with no one noticing."

Steve immediately felt guilt crash down on his shoulders. "I shouldn't have left her alone," he muttered, taking a seat at the bar. "I swore that I'd never let Adena be taken like that again, and I failed her."

A heavy metal hand clapped him on the shoulder. "Don't blame yourself," Tony told him. "She wouldn't, and if a kid _had_ actually been in danger, you'd be beating yourself up over that."

"Tony's right," Pepper said, though she'd been checking her phone. "Don't blame yourself for this." Steve had to smile. He didn't know who she'd been calling or texting, but it did have something to do with Adena's disappearance.

Suddenly, Pepper sighed. "I've called Bruce, but he didn't pick up, so I left a message. I also contacted Phil, to let him know what's happened, and he says he'll be right over –apparently he was laid over on another one of his trips, and is in town. I think he's going to be contacting Director Fury, and will let us know what he comes up with when he gets here."

Steve felt his stomach clench. The last thing he wanted was for Fury to know about his failure! '_If I could get drunk, I'd have a whole bottle of scotch right now_,' he silently groaned to himself.

While they waited for Phil Coulson to arrive, Steve sat and berated at himself. Then, once he finished doing that, he began thinking of all sorts of ways to hurt Loki. '_If anything happens to her, I'll tear him apart_,' he swore, clenching his fists. '_No; first, I'll beat him up, __**then**__ tear him apart_!'

When the elevator door finally opened to reveal Phil, Steve took one look at the Agent's face and knew the other man felt the same way that he did. "If he's hurt her, I'll shoot him," was the first thing Phil told them as he stepped into the room. The next thing was, "Director Fury wants to see you, Captain, and Stark. _Now_."

With a quick farewell to Pepper, the three men departed: Steve and Phil down to the waiting car, and Tony off in his armor, the coordinates of the SHIELD hovercraft programmed into his suit.

* * *

To Steve's complete surprise, he and Tony weren't the only Avengers on the ship.

After watching Tony change out of his suit, Steve walked up to the conference area with him, the two of them lost in their own thoughts. It was when they entered the conference room that he saw Bruce Banner, Natasha Romanoff, and Agent Clint Barton. Bruce immediately came to give a sympathetic pat on Steve's shoulder, while Natasha and Barton nodded, the two of them looking _very_ serious.

As everyone settled into their seats, Director Fury stepped into the room, a deep scowl on his face. "So now we've got another situation," he declared, taking a stance at the head of the table. "Adena has been kidnapped, and everyone here is in agreement in who they think is responsible."

"Loki," Barton said with a sneer. "I knew I should have put an arrow in him the first time around."

Fury shook his head. "We couldn't have done that without upsetting Thor's people. They wanted him alive to face their justice, but so far, I think they've failed in that account. Now we have to take matters into our own hands."

"Agreed," Steve said as everyone else nodded. "But how do we find her? She dropped JT, her personal phone; it has a tracking device that Tony and Bruce put in it. But if she doesn't have JT with her, it's useless."

Natasha actually smiled a little. "I guess you and I had the same idea, Tony," she said, pulling up something on the computers built into the large table. "I take it she was wearing the bracelet I gave her, Captain?"

Steve stared at her for a second before realizing what it was she was telling him. "You put a tracking device in the bracelet!" he said, smiling in relief.

She nodded. "It's a good one, but given how small it is, it can only give us a general area. Still, it's better than nothing."

A few finger swipes on the computer, and the image of a globe appeared above the table, with the image of Europe blinking red.

"Well, that pretty much screams that Loki is back and up to his old tricks," Bruce declared. "It's the only way for her to get to the other side of the planet so fast. However, I don't know if I want to wait around for Thor to show up."

"We do have to wait a little while, though," Natasha warned him. "This is only a general area where she is. Unless something's getting in the way of the signal, or the signal is bouncing off of something to confuse the sensors, Tony might have better luck locating her."

"On it," Tony said, getting up from his seat. "Give me the info, and I'll work some magic of my own." He looked over at Doctor Banner. "You're with me, Big Man. With two geniuses working together, we might get results a bit faster."

Director Fury nodded. "While you do that, we'll see if Thor shows up. I have a feeling that his dad might be sending him over soon to pick up their little escapee."

"And much as I hate to say it, we could use the extra firepower," Tony put in. "I mean, between me and Banner, we could take on Loki in a fight, but it's always good to have a little backup, just in case."

Everyone agreed with that. At that point, the meeting broke, with Tony, Natasha, and Bruce heading to the technology and science area to see if they could track Adena. Director Fury went to the bridge, while Barton went to go practice in one of the weapon ranges onboard, leaving Steve and Phil to themselves.

"Don't worry," Phil said as Steve got to his feet. "We'll find her."

That didn't make him feel better, and it must have showed on his face, because Phil looked even more sympathetic. "I know how you feel, Captain," he said. "I felt exactly the same when she was taken the first time. Even though we got her back, safe and sound, I still feel guilty that I let Loki take her."

Steve shook his head. "But this is the _second_ time this has happened," he growled, slamming his fist on the table. "I promised myself that I'd never let any danger come close to her, and now it has, _again_!"

Phil gave him a small smile. "You're only human," he told him. "You couldn't have known this would happen. All you can do now is try and fix it. And you won't be doing it alone."

Now that did make him feel better, a little. "Thanks," Steve said, allowing himself a small smile.

"No problem," Phil replied. "Now, go get a bit of rest while we wait for them to finish tracking her down."

He rather doubted that he'd get much resting done, but if he was going to have to face Loki again, Steve knew he'd better get a little shut-eye.

Giving a nod to the other man, Steve headed to the hallway, where he was met by another agent. "This way, sir," the woman said, motioning for him to follow. "I'll show you to your quarters."

Nodding, he followed, thoughts of Adena never leaving his head.

* * *

AN: Please review! Thanks!


	17. Investigations

Disclaimer: Sadly, I own nothing related to Marvel, either the comics, movies, TV shows, etc. All of that belongs to the Disney Corporation (though I might try kidnapping Captain America and Hawkeye some day, just for fun).

AN: Yay, I'm back from vacation, armed with another chapter! And on that note: I don't know if they (meaning Marvel/Disney) are ever going to merge the _**X-Men**_ universe with the _**Avengers**_, so we'll just pretend that the they are separate and that mutants and their powers don't exist in this particular _**Avengers**_ universe. So, please enjoy, and don't forget to review! Thanks!

**Chapter 17: Investigations:**

I was beyond annoyed. Not only had I been kidnapped, but I'd been kidnapped by Loki –again! Seriously, this was getting to be a bad habit of his, and one that I fully intended to break him of. Even worse, Loki had completely interrupted my date with Cap; _that_ pushed me past annoyed and straight to angry.

What made me even angrier was that I was stuck inside my own head, _again_. This was yet another habit of Loki's that needed to be broken, hopefully while the Hulk physically broke _him_.

Floating inside the darkness of my brain, I replayed the evening's events, if only because I had nothing better to do. I remembered the dinner I had with Cap, who had asked a ton of questions about myself, which I found funny, because he already knew the answers to most of them. But it had been such a nice, fun, quiet meal with him that I couldn't help but feel warm and comforted by the memory.

Then I remembered the musical we had seen –well, I tried to, anyway. Tony had scored some sweet seats in a private little balcony, but with Cap sneaking peeks at me the whole night, I had been pretty distracted throughout the entire performance. It was almost like high school, when you like someone and keep looking over at them, wondering if they like you or not. But as annoying as that had been back then, I actually felt a bit flattered that Cap thought me worth watching and looking at.

When the performance had ended, I'd thought that Cap might take the hint when Tony and Pepper left us alone, but he hadn't. It had taken _me_ a second or two to figure it out, but when Pepper had winked at me as Tony hauled her out of the box, I knew what they were up to. I'd tried to signal to her that it wasn't a good idea, but they'd done it anyway.

Of course, Tony and Pepper had completely forgotten that Cap was from a different era –he wasn't the type to put the moves on a girl once he was alone with her. He'd actually thought that they'd gone to get the car, and had been embarrassed when I told him their plan. I have to admit, I'd wished that Cap had gathered up the courage to kiss me at that point, but I had a feeling it wasn't the right moment. It's always a good idea to wait for the right moment to kiss a girl, and that hadn't been it.

Then that whole mess with Loki happened, and now here I was, stuck in a magically induced coma/unconsciousness. Seriously, Loki was going to get a piece of my mind when I was able to yell at him!

Even worse, I didn't have JT with me. I'd been trying to text Pepper about what was going on when I'd felt a shiver go down my back. Then I'd felt a hand clamp over my mouth, and a familiar, sinister chuckle reached my ears.

"Hello, Adena," Loki's voice murmured as his other arm grabbed me. "It's so _wonderful_ to see you again."

That was when some kind of power had overwhelmed my brain, sending me into unconsciousness. I vaguely remembered JT falling from my hands to the pavement, but that was it. Hopefully Cap managed to find it and figure out what happened.

In the darkness of my psyche, I felt something pull at me, as though someone or something wanted me to wake up. Unable to resist the temptation of being aware of where I was and what was happening, I let myself wake up.

I immediately wished I hadn't, because with consciousness came pain –_a lot_ of it. Sharp pains ran up my neck, into my head, and back down my arms, causing me to whimper. Every muscle ached with stiffness, and I could feel a dozen bruises forming all over my body. I tried to move my arms and legs, but couldn't –flexing my wrists, I felt them strain against tight bindings.

That was when I heard Loki's voice close by. "Wonderful; you're awake," he commented with sarcastic delight. "Now you will know why you're here."

Oh, great, he was going to start into a monologue. As annoying and cliché as that would be, at least I'd know what he was planning, and if there was anything I could do to stop (or at least delay) him until the Avengers managed to track me here.

A shot of hot, searing pain went up my arm, causing me to cry out. Loki sighed. "Forgive me," he muttered, though he didn't sound very sincere or apologetic. "I needed to sample your blood, and the tools of your world are crude."

Rolling my eyes to the side, I looked around the room I was in. It was more like a converted warehouse, with two bare cement walls, and plaster over wood on the two other walls. The room was very large, but didn't sport much furniture: I could feel a wooden table under my back, and a shabby pillow cradling my head and neck, though that didn't stop my muscles from constantly cramping up.

To my right was a table with several vials of blood, which I guessed were mine. Mercifully, I'd been unconscious for that part –I did _not_ want to know _how_ he had managed to extract the blood! From the way my arms and neck hurt, he must have taken the samples from several areas, and he hadn't been very gentle about it.

Something jabbed into my left arm, and I felt something being injected into me. "What…?" I managed to slur out, trying to lift my head and see what was going on.

"Shh," Loki tried to soothe me, though the smile on his face was disturbing more than comforting. "It's what you mortals call a painkiller. My little human servant has assured me that it would work wonders for you."

Sure enough, the pain was fading pretty quickly, but now that I was able to focus a little better, I realized that I was thirsty and hungry. How long had I been here? Actually, how long _would_ I be here, suffering as Loki's lab experiment?

As my muscles relaxed, so did my brain. That's when I realized, too late, that the bastard must have used a heavy sedative, because now I felt like was floating a wall of fog and cotton. He didn't want to tell me anything; he just wanted to mess with me!

"I see you're feeling tired," Loki quipped, leaning over so that his cool blue eyes met mine. "Good. That will make things easier for me."

I didn't have time to ask what that meant, or even curse at him, because the entire world faded to black before I could.

* * *

Loki had to grin as Adena slipped into deep sleep. The painkiller was actually a sedative, one that was very much recommended by his helpful little minion, and obviously quite effective. With her completely oblivious to the world, he would be able to do all of the tasks he had in store for her.

Reaching out, he gently caressed her cheek, liking the warm softness against his skin. He had never had time to toy with women before this, but he found that he rather enjoyed having a feminine presence in the room. A pity that it was in such a dreary situation, but her pain was necessary in his search for why she drew him. However, now that a decent amount of her blood had been collected, and she was lost to sleep, her mind was open to his explorations.

Taking further advantage of her unconsciousness, Loki let his eyes slowly trail down over her sleeping form. She wore a black ensemble that suited her, and the subtle touch of jewelry adornment had made her look quite elegant. A pity that he had been forced to remove the sleeves from the top garment, as well as the clock from one wrist and the bracelet from the other, so that he could have easier access to her arms and wrists.

Quickly retrieving a chair, Loki settled himself near the top of her head, his hands moving to press themselves gently, but firmly, against her temples. Closing his eyes, he let his own consciousness sink into hers…

…only to find himself pushed right back out again.

Eyes flying open, Loki felt as though his mind had been picked up and thrown back into his body. How was this possible? Where in the Nine Realms had Adena learned to shield her mind in such a way? Or was it some sort of arrogant mistake on his part?

He growled at the idea that this might be his own failing –still, even though his skill was great, Loki knew that he'd yet to perfect it. This _might_ be his fault, but he was not going to give up easily, not while she was in his grasp and his answers so close. Besides, Adena was merely a simple human –it was only a matter of time before any secrets she had were made known to him.

Closing his eyes once more, Loki focused more intently and let his power flow.

* * *

Hours later, he was barely a step closer to the answers he sought. Adena's mind had fought him the whole time, though how she'd managed to do so was, for now, quite beyond him.

Scowling, Loki pulled back in his attempts to pry into her mind so that he could rest, eat, and drink. The food of this planet was strange, but Loki found that he enjoyed some of it. The wine, however, left something to be desired.

Nibbling a bit of cheese and meat, he let his eyes linger on her unconscious form. A deep scowl formed. Thus far, he had made little progress, but in spite of that, he was certain of more than a few things about Adena: It was clear that the young woman possessed some kind of telepathic power, a great rarity in humans. From reading past histories in the library at Asgard, Loki knew that few humans in this world's history had openly displayed magical abilities, for fear of persecution by those who were 'normal.' However, he himself had not expected to encounter a situation such as this.

'_How ironic that this race both craves power, yet fears it_,' Loki thought in amusement. '_Anyone with great magic power was shunned or killed, and yet there are those who wish they had it_!' What a foolish race they were!

But in Adena's instance, her power was dormant. Oh, it was there, and if it could be brought forth for her to use, she could be quite powerful, for even in its dormancy, her telepathic abilities shielded her mind from his!

However, because it was not free to act or use, and she untrained and unskilled in using it, the shield varied in strength –one moment, it was strong enough to hold Loki's own mind out; but in another, it was weak enough for his own powers to be effective on her. _That_ was why he was able to send her into unconsciousness, and had previously been able to show Adena what her future would have looked like if Loki been successful in his invasion efforts. It was also likely that, because she was in physical pain, her mind wished to protect itself from any mental torture Loki might inflict on it.

'_Very impressive_,' he grudgingly admitted, '_For a mortal_.'

As to why he was so drawn to her, it was no doubt because of those same latent abilities. From what Loki had learned in the palace library on Asgard, telepaths were drawn to each other through the powers they all shared –it brought them closer together and created bonds between them that non-telepaths could never understand. Even with Adena's powers being dormant, Loki believed that they still called to those who shared those same abilities.

And now that he knew why she fascinated him, it opened a new realm of possibilities. If he could somehow unlock her powers so that she might use them, he might be able to convince her to join him in his quest for power and dominance over Earth.

'_True, she has a good heart,_' he thought with a sneer, '_But once Adena learns that her so-called 'friends' will abandon her when they learn of her new powers, she will happily join me_.'

And they _would_ abandon her –with humans, it was their nature to fear what they did not understand, and those with powers beyond regular humans were always feared and rejected. Even the Soldier and the Beast would want nothing to do with someone whose skills lay in the mind, rather than on a physical level.

'_They are warriors, after all, and their only concern is on the strength of the body, rather than the mind. Once Adena's abilities manifest, they will quickly realize that her powers make her different from them, and put her far beyond their grasp_.'

Sighing, Loki retrieved a glass of wine and took a sip, grateful that this was a better vintage than the others. He did not like thinking about the 'heroes of Earth,' but they were Adena's friends, and he had no doubt that they were looking for her, especially since he'd snatched her from right under the Soldier's nose.

Sipping his wine and closed his eyes, wondering if he dared risk projecting himself to their floating craft and seeing what they were up to. He decided against it; after his failed attempt on Earth, nearly everyone there likely knew his face, and he could not risk attracting their attention, especially when they already suspected he was here.

Loki gave a short laugh. He could almost see them now: seated around a table, arguing amongst themselves over how they were going to trace Adena's whereabouts, and who was going to be involved in finding and rescuing her. It amused him, thinking of them squabbling like children over a sweet.

What shattered his amusement was the thought that Odin might have sent Thor to earth to retrieve him. No doubt the All-Father was furious that Loki had slipped past the palace's defenses, as well as found a way to transport himself to another world without help from the Tesseract or the Rainbow Bridge. That meant that things could get very complicated, and soon.

Unfortunately, Loki didn't currently have the power or means to travel to another world –his powers had been depleted in his efforts to get to Earth, and they would take time to recover. He would need a great deal of time and preparation before he attempted to travel to another world from here, and even then, it would be an unpredictable journey. He wasn't ready to try that yet; not unless he had to.

Opening his eyes, Loki glanced over at the table, where Adena still lay in her drugged sleep. He momentarily toyed with the idea of draining her of power, so that he might escape this realm, but quickly dismissed the idea. He needed to think of the future, and her powers were best left where they were, especially if he wanted her to stand with him during his future conquests of entire worlds.

There was a bright side to all this, however. Loki knew that it would be difficult for anyone to track him, at least for a while. Even Heimdall could not do so, not when Loki put his full concentration on eluding his sight, as he currently was now. Odin was powerful, it was true, but Loki knew how to keep himself invisible, when it counted most.

'_But who knows how long I have before they are able to find me_? _Even though they are an inferior race, this is __**their**__ world, and they are familiar with it_.'

And how long could he live, confined to a single, barren, ramshackle place when he was accustomed to palaces and the finest of all things? The thought of living here for longer than he cared to think of almost made him ill.

A slight rustling from the table alerted him to the fact that Adena was beginning to regain her senses. Well, he couldn't have _that_, could he?

* * *

"I hate this," Steve muttered as he paced the meeting room for what was probably the thousandth time. "I have to be doing something, or I'll go crazy!"

It didn't help that he hadn't slept at all since Adena had been taken; he'd been escorted to a small set of sleeping quarters, but hadn't done anything except lie there and stare at the ceiling for several hours. After that, he'd gotten right back up and returned to the meeting chamber.

Natasha rolled her eyes and put a hand on his shoulder. "Trust me, Cap, there's nothing you can do at this point. We've got the best tech people, including Tony and Bruce, searching the globe for her. We'll find Adena. Now sit down; from what everyone has told me, you've been up for ages, so right now, you need to eat and drink something, or else you'll be too weak to go out and fight for her."

He wanted to argue with her, but when she gave him a cold glare, he changed his mind. Grumbling under his breath, Steve did as she ordered. He made a trip to the mess, and somehow managed to down a chicken Caesar salad, a roll, and a bottle of water. Normally, he had a healthy appetite, but with Adena's life on the line, that was all he could really handle. He might need something later, but right now, food was not his friend.

'_No, my best friend in this century has been kidnapped by Loki from right under my nose, and who knows what he's doing to her right now_,' Steve couldn't help thinking to himself as he walked the hallways. If anything happened to her, he would never forgive himself.

"Stop it, Rogers," a male voice said, freezing Steve in his tracks. Turning, he saw Agent Barton coming up beside him. "You're blaming yourself again, and it's not doing anyone any good. So Loki got the drop on you –he did the same with me, remember? I won't tell you to not let it get to you, but try not to let it eat at you too much, or it'll cripple you later on, when people will really need you."

A hard, but friendly, smack on the shoulder, and he was gone, leaving Steve in the hallway. Against his will, he smiled a little -Barton was right, and Adena would agree with him. He could almost hear her lecture him, saying that it wasn't his fault, and that he'd have regretted it if an actual child _had_ been in trouble, and he hadn't done anything to help.

Sighing, he reached into a pocket and pulled out JT. The little computer was the only thing of Adena's that Steve had right now, and he kept it with him at all times. For a few minutes, he stood there, staring at the computer, then promptly put it away for fear of activating it. He still wasn't comfortable with today's technology, and didn't want to accidentally break JT, especially since he had every intention of putting it back in Adena's hands.

"Captain?" an agent called, running up to him. "Director Fury wants to see all of The Avengers. Right now."

Steve didn't have to ask where the Director was; he would be in the conference room, where they always met. As he ran down the hall, he felt his hopes rise, his imagination toying with the idea that someone had found Adena's location –or better, that someone had actually found her, alive and well, and taken her somewhere safe.

To his disappointment, it wasn't anything to do with Adena –well, not directly. The others were there, including someone he hadn't expected to see anytime soon.

"Greetings, Steve Rogers," Thor said, a solemn look on his face. "I have come to help you find Lady Adena." Then he scowled. "And to help apprehend Loki."

Before Steve could say anything, Director Fury's already deep frown got even deeper. "You already did that," he retorted, his single eye gleaming angrily. "It seems that Loki somehow managed to get away from you."

Thor didn't seem to appreciate getting lectured, but amazingly, he kept calm. "We have failed, it is true," he admitted. "My father is furious that Loki has betrayed our trust and our belief that he could be saved from the darkness inside of him. On my father's orders, I have come to retrieve him."

Thor's eyes narrowed, blue eyes glinting dangerously. "And this time, I do not intend to be so gentle."

That seemed to be all Tony needed to hear. "Great!" the computer genius exclaimed. "And on that pleasant note, I can tell you that we've narrowed the field down to a couple countries in Western Europe. In an hour or so, I'll have the location pinpointed, and then we can head out."

It was the best news Steve had heard in ages. Within the next 24-hours, Adena would be back with him, and then he would be able to pull her into a tight hug and never let her out of his sight again!

* * *

AN: Review?


	18. Rescue Mission

Disclaimer: Sadly, I own nothing related to Marvel, either the comics, movies, TV shows, etc. All of that belongs to the Disney Corporation (though I might try kidnapping Captain America and Hawkeye some day, just for fun).

AN: So, I'm purposely not naming a city or country where Adena is being held, though feel free to imagine where this place is. Enjoy, and please review! It's almost over!

**Chapter 18: Rescue Mission:**

In spite of his confidence that he would be able to break through Adena's crude mental shields, Loki had made little progress in that regard. Her ability to deflect his efforts was, he must grudgingly admit, quite impressive, and effective –he could barely glance over her surface thoughts, and even _that_ was difficult.

But the more he found how strong she had the potential to be, the more he wanted her and her gifts to belong to him.

Even though Loki himself had the same abilities, he knew that to have an immensely powerful telepath as his ally would be a great advantage. His mind filled with imaginings of the things they could accomplish, and how if they could merge their powers, the two of them could easily subjugate this world.

'_And if I were to find another army to aid me, it would be child's play to defeat those heroes the Earth depends on for protection_.'

But before he could do that, he had to persuade Adena to join him, and before he did _that_, Loki needed to find a way to 'unlock' the powers she possessed. That was nearly impossible to accomplish, particularly when this planet's technology was so primitive, and her mind instinctively put up nearly impenetrable shields.

'_Perhaps the technique I'm using is the wrong one_,' he suddenly realized. Perhaps her mind was protecting itself because his technique was aggressive, and what was needed was a gentler touch. 'Gentle' wasn't usually Loki's preferred method, but it might be worth trying.

Setting aside the meal he'd been nibbling on, he resumed his usual seat behind Adena's head. He had kept her steadily sedated, but the man who did his bidding had brought many useful items to keep her alive. He presently had her attached to something called an IV drip –Loki did not fully understand this technology, but apparently it provided her body with a liquid form of needed sustenance, so that he would not have to risk waking her for nourishment. Another clear bag drained away her wastes, which was occasionally changed by Loki's minion, who was skilled in such matters.

Looking down at her, Loki had to scowl as he tried to think of how 'gentle' he could afford to be. Perhaps, if he managed to weaken her resolve, he could shatter her shields from the inside? It was worth trying.

Closing his eyes, he let himself once again try to sink into her mind.

* * *

I was _so_ sick and tired of being trapped inside my own head!

Seriously, if I had to guess, I would say that I'd been stuck here for at least a day, because that's probably how long it would take to sing every single song that I knew without repeating. Yes, it's crazy, but since Loki obviously had no intention of letting me regain full consciousness, I had plenty of time on my hands. So, given how bored I was, and that I was a huge fan of radio, I knew a lot of songs, so I let them play over in my brain.

'Looking' around the inside of my mind wasn't an option for amusement, either. After I'd gone over the memories of that night out on Broadway with Cap, Tony and Pepper, nothing else came to mind. I tried remembering scenes from my favorite movies, but it was harder than I thought, and made me sleepy.

Instead, I let my imagination go, and it sort of began 'painting' images inside my head, like graffiti on a black wall. I imagined bright scenes of flowery fields with glowing neon flowers and color-changing suns moving across the sky. Sometimes, it was a forest of silver trees with bright emerald leaves, or shining gold ones, and I was able to have a brief moment of fun before I got bored again.

Of course, by now I was getting a little 'cabin-feverish' from being in this induced coma-like state. But I was determined to get through this –I couldn't let Loki win, and since I knew that Cap and Tony were undoubtedly looking for me, I had to not only hold on and be strong, but also try and hold off the mental probes that were being thrown at me. I had no idea what Loki was up to, but whatever it was, it was annoying as hell. Luckily, it wasn't painful, or else I'd be _really_ pissed off!

Instead, I tried to think about my friends, as well as Cap. No doubt they were all looking for me, and all of them were probably very pissed off with Loki. I had no idea how they'd find me, but they would –with all the resources that SHIELD had at its disposal, I was confident that they'd succeed. I didn't know how long it'd take, but it shouldn't be too long –just be longer than I'd like it to be.

Just then, to my surprise, there was a gentle 'poke' in my head. Usually, it was like Loki was setting off grenades in an attempt to get into my brain, but this was more like a firm, gentle tap on the shoulder. What was Loki up to?

'_Whatever it is, it can't be good_,' I reasoned as the tapping stopped.

"I know you can hear me, Adena," said a voice inside my head and my physical ears. "You'll have to answer me, sooner or later."

I could feel myself scowl. '_Well, it'd have to be later, preferably while I'm kicking his ass_.'

Then came an explosion, one that reached all of my senses and sent me into a panic. As much as I wanted to wake up and run away from whatever danger was closing in on me, I could only lay in my coma-like state and pray that whatever was happening wouldn't end up catching me in the crossfire.

* * *

Finally, after hours of searching, Tony and Bruce had managed to pinpoint Adena's location. The signal had been weak, but it had remained steady enough for them to get a lock on it, which is what mattered most.

Once they had the coordinates, the entire Avenger team, with the addition of Agent Phil Coulson, had suited up and loaded themselves onto two heavily-armed planes. With them came a small fleet of aircrafts filled with armed fighters, in case Loki had something unpleasant planned and in place.

During what felt like an _extremely_ long flight, Steve relaxed enough to let his body get a little rest, but his mind wouldn't stop working. He imagined the horrible things Loki might have done to Adena during the day-and-a-half he'd had her. Had she been tortured, or interrogated in any way? Was Loki mocking her by telling her how he planned to 'deal' with The Avengers, who were also her friends?

"You know, if I thought for a second that tranquilizer darts would work on you, I'd plug a dozen into your neck right now," Barton teased, causing Steve's eyes to open a crack.

"Funny," Steve grumbled, smiling a little in spite of himself.

"Seriously, Rogers, you ought to get some sleep," Tony said, giving him a concerned look. "We've all had some kind of shut-eye, but I don't think you've slept a wink since Adena vanished."

He was right, but right now, Steve knew there was no way he was going to get any real rest until she was safe. The others seemed to sense it, too, and all were giving him understanding glances.

Moving a to his side, Natasha put a hand on his shoulder. "Close your eyes a bit and relax. Try to clear your mind, and breathe deeply. It'll help, and you might even get some sleep before we land."

"Yeah, you're really going to need all your strength," Barton put in as he examined his bow. "You won't do anyone any good if you're dead on your feet from exhaustion. Besides, it's a long flight there."

Not that he would tell them, but Steve _was_ tired and he did want to sleep –he just couldn't. Maybe being on this plane to rescue Adena might help a bit. In the past, he'd been on missions all over Europe, heading into dangers that would scare the daylights out of any other man, and been able to sleep between those missions. Maybe familiar settings and habits were just what he needed.

Closing his eyes, Steve focused his mind on the fact that he was going on a mission, and that it was necessary to get some sleep before he and his team landed. Breathing deeply and concentrating on the need for sleep, Steve began to slowly drift off.

* * *

The next thing he knew, a hand in a metal glove was clapping him on the shoulder, shaking him awake. "Come on, Rogers," Tony said, his voice echoing from inside his suit. "It's time to get to work."

Blinking the sleep from his eyes, Steve stretched a bit and looked around. The craft was on the ground, with the main hatch open and the other Avengers gathered outside, chatting, while the armed fighters were lining up, clearly ready to go.

"About time," Tony teased him. "You slept almost the rest of the ride here."

Steve felt himself blush a little. "I guess I needed it. Are we ready to head out?" Tony nodded. "Do we have a plan?"

"Not yet," Tony admitted. "I think the general consensus is that a surprise attack would be our best bet. We'll simply surround the place, then slowly converge on the building. Once everyone's in place, we'll attack."

It was a simple enough plan, and a good one. Steve himself had used that sort of tactic before, when he'd been with his Army team, and it'd been very effective. '_I guess the old ideas are sometimes the best ones_.'

Hefting his shield, Steve headed outside. It was mid-afternoon, but the area the landing strip stood in was a vast, empty field off of a simple dirt road. Several large trucks stood idle on the road, probably to transport everyone to their destination.

"These trucks are your transportation while we're on this mission," Phil told everyone, his voice carrying across the open area. "First, they'll take you to a secure area where you can eat, rest, and prep yourselves. When it's fully dark out, they will take you to where the target is located. There, we will commence with the rescue effort."

Relieved that things were going to finally get underway, Steve followed Phil to one of the trucks, the others falling in behind.

* * *

In spite of their plain, dirt-covered appearance, the trucks were actually luxurious on the inside, with comfortable seating, bottled beverages, and the air fresh and comfortable. It wasn't a limousine, by any means, but it was fine for riding in without feeling confined or like cattle.

From the airfield, they were taken to a warehouse on the outskirts of a city. Here, the trucks wouldn't look suspicious when making 'deliveries,' and it was easy to keep armed guards hidden around the property. Steve approved of these measures, though he did feel as though he should be out there, searching for Adena.

Inside the building, everyone relaxed enough to help themselves to the tables loaded with cold and hot food, though they kept their meal light -none of them wanted to risk a heavy meal that would make them drowsy and ineffective later.

While the other Avengers prepared themselves or stood chatting amongst themselves or with the fighters they were going in with, Steve stood and paced, clearly the most agitated of anyone. Those who didn't know him very well stayed out of his way, but Natasha Romanoff cut off her talk with Clint Barton so that she could quietly convince him to calm down. Eventually, he did so, and went to join her and Barton.

Finally, the signal was given that it was time to discuss the plan of attack, and everyone congregated around a large metal table in the center of the room, where Phil Coulson stood. Once he had their attention, he pressed a button on his wrist watch, and a map of the city projected out of the ceiling to hover above the table, where everyone could see it.

"Our move is simple, but effective," he said. "We surround the place, and when I give the signal, we send the Hulk in first. Since he can take a hit and keep on going, he'll clear a path through whatever Loki's got in store for intruders. The rest of us will move in close behind and Thor can come in from above to grab Loki while he's distracted. That's it."

"What if he uses Adena as a hostage?" Steve asked, unable to accept Adena coming out of the situation with even a scratch.

"We've had eyes on the building since we found their location," Phil explained. "A constant infrared search of the building tells us that there are only the two of them inside, though there appears to be someone who pops in once in a while to bring food and supplies. One of the constant forms inside is lying immobile on a flat surface. We're guessing the prone form is Adena."

That didn't make Steve feel better, but he kept quiet as Phil continued. "We'll divide the Avengers so that everyone can come in from different angles, rather than all at once from the front. Even though I'd like Thor _and_ Stark to take an aerial stance above the building, the sounds from the Iron Man suit's rocket boosters might give us away." Tony nodded his understanding, though Steve would have liked having him in the sky.

Natasha Romanoff was paired with Stark from the left, while Rogers and Barton were another team, going in from the right. Thor would crash in from above as soon as Banner had done his bit, so that he could take down Loki swiftly, before someone got hurt.

Their plans laid out, the group broke and headed for their transport vehicles.

* * *

It was agony, waiting for the signal to attack.

Hefting his shield, Steve felt his stomach tie in knots as Natasha shifted slightly next to him. The building had large windows, but they were covered with closed shutters that kept them from seeing inside. Still, it was lucky for everyone that this warehouse had a ton of rough brush growing around it for them to hide in, or else they'd be in trouble. It was also the only habitable building in the area, since the construction company that had been refurbishing these buildings had gone bankrupt, leaving the other warehouses empty and falling apart.

"Alright, listen up," Tony whispered into everyone's earpiece. "From what I can see, both people inside are on the first floor, sitting or lying still. It doesn't look like Loki's making a move anytime soon, so now might be a good time to move in."

"Agree," Phil softly replied. "Go, go, go!"

That was all Steve needed to hear. Lifting his shield, he and those with him quietly made for the side door that was facing them. As they arrived at the side step, Steve could hear the Hulk bellowing out a roar that shook the building to its foundations. Either that, or he'd torn into the building and that was the cause of the shaking.

Using a tiny explosive device, Natasha blew the door open, and Steve headed in, shield raised to head off any stray bullets or direct attacks. A quick scan of the room told him that he needn't have bothered; Loki was twitching on the floor, semi-conscious, with the smell of burned hair heavy in the air. He guessed that Thor had 'lit up' his hammer and hit Loki before the enemy had a chance to try anything.

"Nice," Steve commented, lowering his shield.

Thor shrugged. "He was distracted." Then he pointed over Steve's shoulder.

Turning, Steve felt himself go cold at the sight of the woman who lay there. It was Adena, pale, fragile-looking, and with dark bags under her eyes. Attached to her arm was a tube that connected her to two plastic bags that dripped who-knows-what into her unconscious body.

Something inside him snapped, and before anyone could stop him, Steve turned and landed a square punch in Loki's face, effectively breaking his nose and causing a very nice bit of satisfaction inside. Pleased with his work, Steve immediately went to Adena's side and tried to figure out how to free her.

"Let me," Tony said, coming up next to him. He glanced at the plastic bag and read the words printed on it. "Okay, there's good news, and there's bad news. Which do you want first?"

Steve felt his hopes sink. "How bad is the bad news?" he asked anxiously.

"Kind of bad," Tony admitted. "She's been heavily drugged. The idiot on the floor there didn't know the dosages he was giving her –he's lucky he didn't kill her with the amount he's been dumping into her body. If he'd used a fraction more than this, she'd be almost dead."

The urge to punch Loki in the face came back. "And what's the _good_ news?" Steve asked through gritted teeth, one hand tightening into a fist as he began to eye Loki's bleeding, twitching face. Loki, meanwhile, was being hauled to his feet by Thor, who was handling him rather roughly.

Stark lowered his helmet's mask and grinned. "The good news is that he had the common sense to try and keep her 'fed' with the contents of this bag." He pointed to the object in question. "This one is used to provide nutrients for hospital patients in a coma, so it helped keep down the sedative's effects."

Heaving a sigh of relief, Steve turned eyes towards Adena's face. "Can you unhook her?" he whispered, hoping that the answer was 'yes'.

"Sure thing," Tony replied. "But she'll still be under for a while."

"Not necessarily," commented another voice.

Looking up, Steve saw it was Doctor Banner, back in his human form. Someone had provided him with jeans, a shirt and shoes –Steve guessed Phil, or one of the other agents, had thought ahead.

Coming over, Bruce put a hand on Steve's shoulder. "I took a quick glance over the meds that Loki's lackey had provided him with. There's one drug in there that'll counteract the sedative. It'll take a little while for it to work, though."

"Do it," Steve ordered, eyes watching intently as the Doctor went to a stack of drawers and produced a syringe and a vial.

In seconds, the bags had been detached from Adena's arm, and the other drug injected into it. Steve's eyes never left Adena's face during that whole time, his gaze searching for signs that she was waking up, or stirring.

Minutes passed, and just when he was about to lose patience, Steve saw her eyes move. Catching his breath, he watched as her eyelids fluttered, then, with agonizing slowness, struggled to pull themselves open. Those beautiful eyes of hers then began looking around, almost as though she wasn't sure she was awake or not. When she saw him, Adena said only one word, but it was enough to lift his spirits.

"Cap?" she whispered, as though she thought him a mirage or dream.

Not saying one word, Steve threw his shield on his back. His arms free, he slowly reached down and gently scooped her up in his arms. Her head immediately went to land on his shoulder while her arms struggled to reach around his neck.

"Shh," he whispered to her. "It's alright; I've got you. You're safe, and I'm never letting you out of my sight again. You always get into trouble when I do!"

A soft sound came from her, and he guessed she was trying to laugh. When she spoke, though, it was with all seriousness in her tone. "I knew you'd find me."

He held her tightly, but gently, against him. "Always," he whispered as he carried her towards the door, straight past Loki's fuming, bleeding, twitching form.

* * *

Watching their Steve carry Adena out to the waiting medical unit, the other Avengers exchanged knowing grins. They hadn't told Rogers yet, but while he'd been pacing around the main SHIELD hovercraft, the rest had decided that Adena was an honorary member of their group. She might not have special powers or abilities like the rest of them, but she was exactly the sort of person they needed to keep them down-to-earth.

Following Rogers to a waiting transport craft, Tony privately wondered how long it would be before the Captain finally asked the girl out on a date -of just the two of them.

* * *

AN: I'm currently typing up the third part to this series, so keep an eye out for that, possibly a week or two after this story ends! Oh, and there's a epilogue coming up, too, so beware. Review?


	19. Epilogue

Disclaimer: Sadly, I own nothing related to Marvel, either the comics, movies, TV shows, etc. All of that belongs to the Disney Corporation (though I might try kidnapping Captain America and Hawkeye some day, just for fun).

AN: Here's the last part of this story! Please enjoy, and don't forget to review!

**Epilogue:**

I began drifting awake in a bed in what had to be the medical center of the SHIELD hovercraft (the loud roar of the engines were a huge giveaway).

Without opening my eyes, I took note of what shape I was in: my entire body ached, my head felt clouded, and I was hungry. Not too shabby, I guess, for someone who'd been held captive by Loki for who-knows-how-long.

Stretching my limbs a little, I felt something clinging to my right hand, and opened my eyes. There, seated in a chair beside my bed, was Cap, his head down on the mattress as he slept. He was so adorable, I had to give a tiny giggle.

The sound woke him, his blue eyes quickly blinking away sleep as he noticed I was awake. "Oh, thank God," Cap sighed, his hand squeezing mine. "Are you alright? Do you need anything?"

"Water," I replied, glancing over at the water pitcher that was on a bedside table.

Almost instantaneously, a cup of water was being held against my lips. I'd have tried lifting it myself, but my arms were sore and felt like overcooked noodles –handling a cup was not a good idea.

After finishing off two cups of liquid, I began to feel somewhat human again. As my head began to clear, my stomach loudly indicated that it wanted food, so Cap went to the door and asked a nurse to bring me something to eat. When he came back, he took his seat and held my hand again. We didn't say anything for a while, and by the time a nurse had brought me my food then left, it was still quiet in the room.

"You should eat," Cap said as he slowly, and obviously reluctantly, released my hand for the second time.

Even though I liked having his fingers wrapped around mine, I was thankful that he let me eat. With a little help from Cap in cutting up my food, I managed to gather enough functionality in my arm and hand to handle a fork so that I could feed myself. It took a while, but I was able to polish off the meatloaf and mashed potatoes on my plate, which were actually pretty good for hospital food. My arms ached afterward, but I didn't say anything –I didn't want to cause Cap any more worry than he already seemed to be feeling.

When the tray was pushed aside, Cap took my hand in both of his, concern etched deep into his face. He looked like he'd been through hell, but before I could ask him about it, the door burst open, and my small room was quickly invaded by a swarm of friendly faces, with everyone from Phil to Agent Barton coming in to visit. Even Thor was here –I'd expected him to have hauled Loki away by now, but apparently that hadn't happened yet. In fact, the only person who _wasn't_ here was Director Fury.

"Oh, man, am I happy to see you up," Tony said, coming to plant a kiss on my cheek. "Don't do that again. You got Rogers here scared out of his mind; poor guy almost wore out the floor with his pacing while we were tracing you."

I stared at him. "Tracing me? What are you talking about?"

Natasha stepped forward, holding up the bracelet she'd given me. "I knew you'd probably end up in trouble, if only by association with us," she said, smirking a little. "So I sent you this, just in case."

It took a minute for that to sink in. "You put a tracking device in it!" I cried, reaching for the bracelet and almost disconnecting myself from the IV tube stuck in my arm. Unfortunately, the tube was a bit short, and the movement made me hiss a little in pain.

That's when everyone began fussing over me, asking if I was okay, and telling me to stop moving around so much. Being a doctor, Bruce came to make sure the tube was still in place, and to rearrange the medicine bag stand so that it wouldn't get in anyone's way.

"There, all comfy?" Bruce asked as he fluffed a pillow and stuck it behind my head.

I looked at him with more than a hint of suspicion. "I'm not dying, am I?" I asked, knowing what a crappy liar Bruce could be –his face was just too honest for that. "That's the only reason I can think of for everyone being so overly nice and worried about me."

Most of them shifted a bit uncomfortably, but Tony looked as calm as ever. "Actually, all of us feel just a _little bit_ guilty that you got caught up in this mess with Loki," he explained. "You know, because of your association with us, blah, blah, blah, you get the picture."

I rolled my eyes. Leave it to Tony to get down to things! "Thanks, but I'm fine. Like I always tell Cap: it's not your fault, Loki is crazy, and I forgive you. Okay? Now stop beating yourselves up about it."

"That was good," Tony replied, grinning, "But how about you deliver it with a little more feeling?"

Natasha reached over and smacked him in the shoulder. "Stop that. You know she means it."

Tony, meanwhile, looked over and saw Cap holding my hand. "There we go!" he said cheerfully, giving Cap a smile. "So, did you ask her yet?"

I looked over at the man who was now clutching my fingers like a lifeline. "Ask me what?"

"Nothing!" Cap said, glaring at Tony. "We'll talk about it later."

Everyone, including me, decided to let it drop. Instead, they all took seats around the room or stayed standing as they filled me in on what had happened while I was out.

"I will be taking Loki back to Asgard as soon as you are fully recovered, Adena," Thor informed me from his standing position near the door. I had to restrain a laugh, since it looked as though he were protecting me from another possible kidnapping incident. "I am sorry that he was able to escape and cause you so much pain and suffering because of my people's failure to keep close watch on him."

He looked extremely unhappy about the whole thing, and I could clearly see the guilt in his eyes. "I don't blame you, Thor," I gently told him. "The only person I really blame is Loki himself." I paused for a second. "Though I do hope you'll be more careful when keeping him locked up."

Thor nodded. "We will. I know my father will have stricter precautions in place when I return Loki to Asgard. His new prison will block his abilities and prevent his use of them, so he will not be able to escape as he did before. We will also keep him there, and restrict his movements."

"Try not to be too hard on him, but don't be too soft, either," I warned. "You don't want him getting worse than he already is, but I'm sure your people will find middle ground when it comes to helping him change for the better."

He smiled a little, but clearly didn't look convinced. "I'm sure we will."

Nearby, Tony cleared his throat. "I've gotta confess that I feel bad, too," he said. "I shouldn't have left you and Rogers alone like that -it totally left you both open to Loki's schemes. I'm sorry, Adena."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, not you, too," I sighed. "Tony, I forgive you. You couldn't have known this would happen, and I don't blame you, okay? I repeat, I do _not_ blame you, or any of the Avengers for this. So please stop with the apologizing and the pity-party."

Everyone laughed as the tension finally began to drain out of the room and they all relaxed –well, except for Cap, who seemed to think that something bad might happen if he let go of my hand. For a while, we sat and chatted about how their rescue efforts had gone, with Phil mentioning that SHIELD fully intended to keep a closer eye on me, at least for a while.

"Loki snatched you from right under Director Fury's nose," Phil explained. "Obviously, he's not very happy about that. So for the next few months, we'll have eyes on you, just to make sure you're safe."

"Is that necessary?" I asked, whining just a little. "I don't want agents following me everywhere. I mean, I'm not the wife or daughter of the President! The last thing I wanted is armed guards hovering over me all the time."

Phil smiled a little. "No; no agents. We'll just be watching through the occasional camera, to make sure you're okay."

"Actually, this might be better," Cap said, pulling something from his pocket before pressing it into my palm.

"JT!" I cried, causing it to activate.

"Welcome home, Miss," he replied. "It's good to know you're safe again."

With my little pocket computer back in my possession and Natasha's gift on hand, Phil decided that, if Tony could have JT send constant updates on me to SHIELD, that'd be just as good as keeping an eye on me. That was a relief –the last thing I wanted was actually knowing that 'big brother' really was watching my every move!

When I started yawning, Cap hastily shooed everyone from the room, but didn't actually leave with them. I saw Tony throw him a knowing smile as he left, but Cap just pushed him outside and shut the door behind him.

"So, what is it you aren't asking me?" I asked as he returned to his chair.

Cap shifted uneasily in his seat as he looked down at his clenched hands, muttering something very softly. I couldn't hear what he said, exactly, but it sounded like he was talking about us going out on a date. From the way his cheeks were turning pink, I knew that had to (generally) be what he'd said.

Fighting back the urge to giggle, I solemnly replied, "Yes, Cap; I'll go on a date with you."

The way his blue eyes shone when he looked at me had to be one of the most wonderful things I'd ever seen.

* * *

Staring at the dining room table, Steve silently prayed that he'd done everything perfectly. Pepper had provided some very helpful advice, and he'd followed it to the letter. All he could do now was cross his fingers and hope that it all worked out.

A quick glance towards Adena's door showed that her main light was still out, meaning that she was probably still napping. He had brought her home yesterday, after she'd been in the SHIELD hospital for two days, and even though she was getting stronger, Adena was still slightly weakened from her encounter with Loki.

Steve felt his hand clench tightly at the thought of the rogue Asgard. She still bore the marks and bruises of being restrained, all of which were temporary, thank goodness. Steve knew there would be mental scars, but since she'd been unconscious most of the time, he hoped those would be minimal. She hadn't had nightmares or haunting dreams, to his knowledge, but if or when she did, Steve fully intended to be there for her, no matter what.

Meanwhile, Thor had taken Loki back to Asgard yesterday, before Adena's return home, which was a relief. Thor had privately spoken to Steve and repeatedly assured him that Odin would lock Loki up for a _long_ time in a cell that would block Loki's powers, thereby preventing him from escaping again. There would be more guards on him, and even a tracking collar so that they would always know Loki's movements.

"We should have done this before, but we had truly thought that he would soon change back to the way he was," Thor said apologetically. "We know differently now, and my father will see that Loki's imprisonment will be more severe than before."

That did make Steve feel better, and he'd thanked Thor for his assurances. It made it easier to bring Adena home and know that she'd be safe.

Movement from her room made him straighten up. When her door opened, Steve watched with relief and satisfaction as her eyes widened in surprise. "Wow," she breathed. "Cap, did you do all this?"

'All this' meant the elegant table settings, the lighted candles, the covered dishes with their meal still hot and waiting for them, and the chilled glasses waiting for sparkling cider to be poured into them. He'd timed it just right, so that Adena would be awake while the food was still hot and fresh. Pulling out a chair, he signaled for her to sit down.

"I hope you like it," he said while she settled in her chair. "It's spaghetti and meatballs, from one of the best Italian restaurants in the city."

She laughed as he took the seat beside her. "I'm sure it'll be delicious. But you didn't have to go through all this trouble just for me."

He smiled at her. "Yes, I did."

His heart warmed as her cheeks turned a delicate pink. "Well, it's very impressive, though I can't think how you managed it."

Steve shrugged as he poured the apple cider. "Pepper helped a bit."

"Ah," Adena replied, "That explains everything."

Uncovering the dishes, Steve was relieved to see that the pasta hadn't turned mushy. There was also a dish of spinach cooked with a light touch of garlic, and a chocolate mousse for dessert –all were favorites of Adena's, and Steve immediately noticed how she seemed to perk up at the sight of them.

Dinner was pleasantly calm, the two of them exchanging quiet jokes and conversation about anything that came to mind. Steve worried that Adena might start getting tired during the meal, but the food seemed to energize her, and rather than go back to her room to rest, she suggested watching a movie in the living room.

"Actually, I had a question," Steve replied, offering her a hand. "I was wondering if you knew any dance instructors." She gave him a surprised look as he explained, "I've always wanted to learn to dance."

For a moment, Adena looked thoughtful. "Well, I'm sure there are some awesome dance teachers in New York," she told him. "There are a ton of different styles of dance, though. What did you have in mind?"

Steve shrugged. "Something useful and universal; you know, like what you'd see people dance at a party."

Adena's thoughtful look softened into a smile. "Well, there's the slow dance. It's simple, basic, and anyone can do it –even me." She motioned for him to stand. "Here, let me show you."

He watched as she went to her purse and produced JT. "JT, can you sync my laptop's music with the TV's sound system?" she asked while pushing all sorts of buttons on the little computer.

In minutes, there was soft song playing, and Adena was right in front of him, taking his hands in hers as she led him to an open area in the living room. Swallowing nervously, he let her put one of his arms around her waist, while the other hand held hers.

"So, one way is to dance like this," she explained, a pretty blush in her cheeks. "The other is to put both arms around your partner. It all depends on what makes you comfortable, or how intimate you are with the person you're dancing with. For a girl, she can put her arms around the man's neck or his waist, while guys simply put their arms around the girl's waist."

Steve nodded and tried to swallow as Adena began swaying to the beat of the song. "For the dance itself, you just sway back and forth to the rhythm of the song," she instructed as the music played. "You don't move very far on the dance floor, but you can slowly move in a circle in your general area. It's just a slow, easy dance that everyone enjoys."

As she talked, Steve held her close and breathed in the scent of her hair: peppermint with a hint of vanilla. While the music played and the two of them slowly moved in a slow, rhythmic circle, he felt completely content and at peace. It was a sensation that he hadn't felt for a very long time.

Looking down in to Adena's eyes, Steve felt a voice urging him to do something very impulsive –so he did.

* * *

As Cap leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine, I swore I felt the earth stand still. He had the softest, gentlest lips, and as his hand released mine so that it could wrap around my waist, I wrapped both arms around his neck, pulling him deeper into the kiss.

Finally, after all the nightmares and hell we'd been through, we were in heaven.

* * *

AN: End of this story! Keep an eye out for the part of the trilogy, coming up in a week or so! I hope everyone enjoyed themselves, and will review. Thanks, and I'll see you all soon!


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